Meow
by sqifer-fan
Summary: Seifer x Squall Ultimecia left one final gift for squall in the form of a cat... shonen ai
1. Prologue

Disclaimer: I do not own Squall, Seifer or Final Fantasy 8

This is shonen ai (boy love) between squall and seifer (but not for a while) so you have been warned. pg-13 for language, may go up later.

Prologue

Seifer sneered in disgust at the sight before him. The once powerful sorceress who had held his mind in her tight control now laid in a heap before him.  
"You got what you deserved bitch."  
The heap coughed pitifully and tried to rise, but only managed to raise her head above the ground.  
"Zut up pitifull zervert of mine."  
Seifer shook his head.  
"I am no longer yours Ultimecia" he whispered, staring into the eyes of the witch who had savagely ripped his mind apart and claimed it as her own, forcing him to turn on friends, Garden, the world as a whole. Eyes that he once feared to gaze into in fear of invoking her anger bore into his, but he did not lower his gaze.

The surrounding area changed as time and eras past them as the continued to battle it out. Seifer stood up, eyes still locked in place as he tightened the makeshift bandage around his stomach, a leaving present from his former rival. He laughed at the defeated sorceress.  
"You failed Ultimecia. You can't do anything to me now. Just give up and finish dying you old bag."  
Glaring at the blonde, Ultimecia let out a harsh laugh.  
" You pitivull valiure. You really zink zat you've von? Ha! You can't escape your punishment zat easily."  
Seifer snorted and turned around.  
"Later bitch. I hope you choke on your own vomit or something," he called out over his shoulder, sending a patronising wave to her.  
"Ha voolish boy! You vill pay vor your impertance!"  
The witch began her final chant. Feeling the rising power, Seifer turned towards the sorceress.  
_'No, her power should be gone'_  
"Ha! I managed to keep a bit ov my power vrom that intervering girl. Not enough to keep me alive, but enough to make you regret vailing me!"  
Seifer felt a warm feeling come over him as the world spun. Ultimecia let out a cruel laugh before collapsing, dead. It seemed like an eternity before the world stopped spinning. Looking through new eyes, Seifer said only one thing:

"Meow."

* * *

AN: This was just something that came to me one night. Remember to read and review, helpful critisim welcomed. I hope I didn't piss anyone off too much with Ultimecia's dialogue - i haven't gotten as far as her yet so was just placing z's and v's everywhere.


	2. chapter 1

Disclaimer: I do not own Seifer, Squall or Final Fantasy VII.

Warnings: Shonen Ai (Seifer Squall) in later chapters. Pg-13 for language. Rating may go up later

Chapter 1

Squall wondered aimlessly through time and space. After the defeat of Ultimecia, Squall found himself separated from the others, and hand been wondering across some desert for some time now. He was tired and weary, and just wanted to go home.

'_But how..._'  
Gazing around, he saw nothing but dirt, sand and dirt. Squall was about to give up and continue walking when a shimmering in the distance caught his eye. The shimmering light expanded, leaving a hole, which showed dark green foliage on the other side. Desperate to leave the desert, Squall ran towards the gap in time, unknowing of the small figure that was following him. He jumped.

'_What the hell!'_  
Seifer gazed at his paws. Then his tail. Then his paws again.  
_' Damn, this is not good.'_  
Seifer tried to scream in frustration, but only managed to let out a grating yowl that echoed in his ears.  
_' Great, now what am I going to do? I'm stuck in time compression with no way out, and now I'm a cat. A Cat. Why a cat for Hyne's sake? Oh well, it could have been worse, she could of turned me into a dog.'_  
Getting up and shaking his head, he gazed around.  
_' Now lets find... Squall?'_  
Seifer watched as a tired and weary Squall walked slowly across the desert, Gunblade in one arm. Seifer instantly crouched low to the ground, and watched the brunette as he scanned the horizon, looking for the same thing as Seifer – an exit out of hell. Seifer noticed the shimmering time rip at the same time as Squall. Waiting until Squall had started moving, Seifer ran up behind him, unnoticed by Squall as they leaped into darkness.

* * *

Seifer stared around him. He was in the middle of Balamb Garden with no weapon, no magic and an unconscious Squall.  
_'Wow, I must be the luckiest guy alive'_ Seifer thought sarcastically as he padded cautiously towards the unconscious SEED. Jumping on top of the brunette, Seifer sat down on his Chest and stared at Squall.  
_'Now what to do. I can't walk around here by myself, I'll be eaten within minutes, and you'll suffer the same fate as well in this condition. I guess I should try to wake you up then.'  
_Seifer nudged Squall's chin. No response. He nudged again, a bit harder this time. Still no response.  
_' Ah fuck Squall. Why you go knock yourself out for?'_  
Letting out a frustrated hiss, Seifer stood on all four paws and jumped up and down a few times. Squall slept on. Seifer gazed down at his paws in defeat.  
_' Stupid body with stupid tails and stupid paws and stupid claws... heeeeyy.'_  
Seifer lifted up a paw and wiggled his toes.  
_' Ummmm, now how do I do this?'_  
Experimentally he flexed his foot muscles, and out came four very sharp claws. If he was in human form, he would of smirked and chuckled in an evil way.  
_' He he. Wakey wakey Puberty boy'_ Seifer said mischievously as he raised his paw up high.

SWIPE!

"OWWWWWW!"  
Squall at up with a start, placing his hand on his sore cheek.  
"Oww, what the fuck?"  
Squall looked around for the offender, eyes falling on the black, white and ginger cat sitting smugly on the ground beside him.  
"You did this?"  
"Meow."  
Squall shook his head.  
_' Great, now I'm asking a cat a question. I really need some sleep.'_  
Squall stood up and looked around.  
_' I'm in Balamb Forest by the looks of it.'_  
Bending down, Squall picked up the offending cat by its scruff.  
"That wasn't very nice, scratching me like that. And what you doing all the way out here? Ah oh well. I guess I better take you back to garden with me. Someone might claim you there."  
Seifer meowed in agreement.  
_' Yes, out of the forest, away from the hungry monsters.'_  
Holding the cat firmly in his left arm, Squall picked up his gunblade and started towards Balamb.  
"You know cat, if this scratch attracts any monsters, they're eating you first."  
Seifer gulped.

* * *

Squall toddled up wearily to the gates of Balamb Garden.  
_' Thank Hyne, here at last.'_  
Entering Garden, the first face that greeted him was a very relieved Cid.  
"There you are Squall. We were so very worried about you."  
"Are the others back yet?"  
" Yes, you're the last one to arrive safe and sound. Is that a cat?"  
"Well, I believe so" squall replied sarcastically. "I found him in Balamb Forest."  
"Ooook then. Go and get cleaned up. I'm sure your looking forward to a hot shower. I'll get some food sent up for you. Get some rest, the others will want to see you and we're also planning a celebration for you and the team in honour of your deeds," Cid babbled on as Squall headed towards his dormitory.  
"I know this is not the time to ask, but the position as Commander is still open if you want it. Don't make any decisions now, just let me know before the celebration so I can announce it formally then ok Squall?"  
Squall nodded wearily. "Yes sir." Surprising Squall, Cid pulled squall into a big hug.  
" I'm glad your ok Squall. Get some rest." Cid said in a fatherly tone before heading off down the hallway. Silently, Squall entered his code for his door and entered the dark room for the first time in months. Releasing the cat from his arms, he flicked on the light, yawning loudly as he made his way to the bathroom.

Seifer looked around at his surroundings.  
_' How very ... boring.'_  
Grey dominated the room. Grey benches, grey doors, grey lamp shades, grey everything.  
_' He really needs to discover the colour wheel.'_  
CLUNK  
Seifer's ears twitched.  
Another clunk.  
_' What?'_  
Seifer looked around for the source. His eyes locked on the bathroom door as several more clunks followed and the sound of running water filled Seifer's ears.  
_' Ah, Squalls belts.'_  
A whispered sigh as Squall climbed into the shower.  
_' Wow, talk about super hearing'_ Seifer thought. _'I wonder what else I can do?'  
_Looking around, Seifer spotted a lone chair in the corner of the room.  
_' Cats are suppose to be able to jump high. Nice and easy. I'll start with that chair.'_  
Seifer padded over to said chair and hunched down.  
_' Ok, 1, 2, 3 Jump!'_  
Seifer pushed off and landed smoothly on the seat of the chair.  
_' Ahhh, perfect as always. Now lets try something bigger.'  
_Seifer's eyes landed on the kitchen bench.  
_' That should be easy enough.'_  
Jumping down from the chair, Seifer padded over to the bench. Hunching down, he jumped into the air, paws reaching out...  
_'Wo...ahhhh!'_  
Back paws peddled furiously in thin air as he desperately tried to dig his claws into the bench.  
"Meoooow!"  
CLUNK  
_'Owwww.'_  
A snort sounded from behind him.  
"Stupid cat" Squall said, standing in the bathroom doorway, towel wrapped around his waist. Walking over he grabbed the indignant Seifer and placed him on the bench.  
_' Who you calling stupid'_ Seifer grumbled, annoyed at being caught out like that in front of Squall.  
"If your looking for food you're out of luck until the tray is brought up cat" Squall said, scratching Seifer behind the ears.  
_' Hmmm, this actually feels good.'_  
"Tonight you can stay here and tomorrow I'll find someplace else for you to live" Squall said, heading towards his bedroom.  
_' Some place else? No, wait Squall. Don't send me away. I have to see Edea and get here to change me back!'  
_KNOCK KNOCK  
Squall crossed the room and opened the door, grabbing the tray and placing it on the bench.  
_'What have we here?'_ Seifer wondered as he sniffed the plate.  
_'Mmmm, steak, peas, potatoes, an after dinner mint and orange juice... hey cool, I can smell!'_  
Seifer filed super smell next to super hearing and (not so) super jumping. Squall lifted the lid to reveal a deliciously looking hot dinner. Grabbing a fork, he dug into his meal, eating ravenously.  
" Meow."  
Squall paused in his shovelling to glance towards the cat, who was looking up expectantly at him. Squall sighed.  
"Oh, all right" Squall mumbled as he cut some of his meat into chunks and placed them in front of Seifer. Seifer attacked his food merciless. He couldn't remember tasting anything as nice as this before.  
_' But I guess not eating for a while does that. Doubt it would make carrots taste any better though.'_  
"God you're a pig." Squall commented as he watched the cat gobble down the meat within seconds.  
' He is quite a cute looking kitty' Squall thought as he chopped up the rest of the meat for the cat. The cat was mostly white, with patches of ginger and black over his body. On the shoulder was a black patch that looked like a distorted cross, and both the back paws had black boots. A black patch circled one for its eyes, and a strip of ginger flowed down the back of its head to its shoulder blades. The fur was soft and sleek, and Squall could see the muscles ripple as the cat moved. The results were a weird, but cute looking cat.  
_' Must be a tom cat to be built like that.'_ Squall frowned.  
"I wonder if you have a home. Most people de-sex their cats these days."  
Seifer's ears perked up at the word 'de-sex' and he stared at Squall in horror.  
"Hmm, maybe you're wild, but you seem quite placid to me," Squall mused as he reached up and scratched Seifer behind his ears.  
"If nobody will claim you, I might just keep you myself."  
_' Good idea Squall. Just no more talk about neutering ok?'_  
Seifer rose and stretched, jumping off of the bench and padded into Squall's room.  
_' Ah, time for bed.'_  
Spotting a nice plump pillow, Seifer leaped onto the bed, but found himself flying before he had a chance to settle down on his prize.  
"Oh no you don't cat. No cats on the bed," Squall said as he slid into his bed and turned the light off. Seifer sat on the floor for a few minutes, before quietly jumping up, careful not to disturb Squall. Spinning around a few times, Seifer settled down at the end of the bed, asleep within minutes.

* * *

AN/ Second chapter done! Thanks for all the reviews. I decided not to go and change Ultimecia's dialogue for now, as she only plays a minor role at the moment, but if she does makes an appearance later, I'll find out exactly how she talks and change it. Remember to read and review!


	3. chapter 2

I do not own Final Fantasy VIII or Squall or Seifer. Shonen Ai in later chapters. Rating may go up later. Read and enjoy! (thats what its here for!)

Chapter 2

"Oh Squall! Your ok!" Rinoa squealed, running up to hug Squall, squashing the bundle in his arms.  
"MEOW hiss!"  
Rinoa gave a small squeal and leapt back.  
"What was that Squall?"  
Squall sighed.  
"A cat. I found him yesterday and I'm going to see if someone lost him."  
Rinoa eyed the cat distastefully.  
Seifer eyed her back distastefully.  
_'So that's what happened to the stupid bitch. Bah sorceresses.'_  
"Oh, a cat. What will you do if he doesn't have an owner? Get him put down?"  
"Actually, I was thinking that I might keep him," Squall said, surprising Rinoa.  
"Oh. Can I pat him?"  
Rinoa reached out to stroke Seifer.  
Slash  
"Hiss."  
"Owwww," Rinoa whined, watching the blood well up from the scratch.  
"Sorry Rinoa." Squall said apologetically. "I didn't think he would scratch you."  
"Violent little brute" Rinoa said, glaring at the smug cat in his arms.  
"I don't know. It seems to be his way of saying hi," Squall said, hand reaching to a simular set of claw marks on his cheek.  
"Well, if you do keep him, better keep him away from Angelo – he'll tear your little kitty to pieces."  
Seifer let off a cat-like snort.  
_'Like that throw rug could have a chance against me'_ he thought, flexing his claws. Squall smirked.  
"By the way the cat's acting, I'm sure he thinks Angelo has no chance against him."  
"Tsh whatever" Rinoa said, flicking her hand in mid air. "The group is going to meet together for a private luncheon in an hour in the 2nd floor classroom. Make sure you turn up – preferably without the cat" she added. "I'm off to the sickbay. Bye Squall," she said, leaning in to kiss Squall on the cheek.  
"Hisss."  
Rinoa stepped back quickly.  
"Ah, later Squall."  
"Later Rinoa."  
Squall watched as Rinoa walked away before lifting Seifer up by his scruff.  
"What was that for?"  
"Meow."  
Squall shook his head.  
"Never mind. Lets go find your owner before I start expecting you to answer my questions cat."

---------------------------------------------- ------------------------------------------ --------------

Squall went everywhere. The Garden's lost property, Balamb, the Pound, yet there were no sign of an owner for his little "bundle of joy." Squall sighed. So far, all the excursion had done was to let the cat's wrath extend to the pound ladies, some kids, even the door keep of Balamb Garden. Squall eyed up the cat in his arms.  
"Rinoa's right you know. You are a violent little brute. There was no need to scratch up that old lady there."  
"Meow."  
Seifer grinned inwardly.  
_'Like I would let you leave me there. Looks like your stuck with me until Edea comes and changes me back to my handsome self Squally boy.'_  
"Hey Squall!!!"  
Both cat and man squirmed under the high pitched scream that emitted from the brightly dressed girl.  
"Hissss."  
_'Don't you even think about giving him a bone-crushing hug. I've been squashed enough already.'_  
Selphie stopped short.  
"Ohhhhh a cat! Can I pet it?"  
"Not unless you want a couple of claw marks," Squall replied.  
"What you doing with a cat anyway Squall?" Selphie asked, bouncing along side Squall.  
"I found him."  
"Where?"  
"Balamb forest."  
What were you doing out there?"  
"Time compression."  
"What was he doing all the way out there?  
"Don't know."  
"Anyone claimed him yet?"  
"No, but I'm not surprised. Like anyone would want a bad tempered thing like him."  
Selphie smirked.  
"The same thing could be said about his new owner," she muttered.  
"What was that?"  
"Nothing! Come on, we have to go to the luncheon now, before Zell eats it all on us."  
"Hang on Selphie, I should really put the cat in my room."  
"Tsh, take him with you. Maybe a bit of food will make him a happy cat," Selphie said, wagging her finger near Seifer's face.  
Snap.  
Seifer's teeth just scrapped the perky brunette's fingertip.  
"Oh, diffidently a bad tempered thing."  
Squall just grunted uncommittedly.  
"He's not so bad." He replied sulkily, hugging the cat closer. Selphie giggled.  
"Ok then, whatever you say Squall. I'm sure you two will get on just fine. Come on, off to the luncheon!"

-------------------------------------- -------------------------------------- --------------------------

Seifer smelt the food before they had even entered the room.  
_'Mmmm, sausages.'_  
"Meow. Meow"  
Squall looked down.  
"Hungry huh?"  
Seifer meowed in response.  
"I'll take that as a yes."  
Selphie grinned inwardly at the sight of Squall fussing over the cat.  
'Heh heh. Who would of thought Squall was a cat lover. He's worse than Rinoa over Angelo.'

Seifer looked around the room. So far, only Zell, Quistis and Irvine had shown up, and with Selphie and Squall here, that left only Rinoa to show up.  
_'I wonder what they would do if they knew I was here as well?'  
_Spotting the table of food Seifer leapt out of Squall's arms and bounded over. Squall went to go grab the escaping cat but was halted by a voice.  
"Hi Squall. Glad to see your alive man." Zell bounded up to Squall.  
"Yes, I'm alive," Squall replied distractedly, looking about for his cat.  
"What you looking for?" Zell asked, glancing around the room in confusion.  
"um, my..."  
"Woof." Angelo bounded in happily, followed by his owner.  
"We're here!"

Seifer stiffened and stopped eating his stolen sausage. Sniffing the air, his fur raised up on end as he heard a familiar bark.  
_'Angelo...'_  
Seifer sat in silence, view blocked by the tablecloth. He could here the dog coming closer and closer, attracted by the smell of Seifer's lunch. Seifer grinned wickedly as he extended his claws and laid in wait for his oblivious prey. A bump formed in the cloth, and then Angelo stuck his head inside, coming nose to nose with Seifer. POUNCE 

"Yelp!"  
Angelo jumped back, franticly trying to dislodge the offending cat from his face  
"Hisss."  
Seifer grinned to himself._ 'Ha, take that you mangy mutt. I still haven't forgiven you for chewing up my good boots last summer.'  
_Rinoa squealed.  
"Get him off Squall! He's hurting my poor baby!"  
Squall smirked.  
"I thought you said Angelo would tear the little kitty to pieces," he said, but went over and pried his new pet off of the cowering dog. As soon as Seifer felt Squall's hands wrap around his stomach, he let go of the dog and sat in Squall's arms, purring away.  
_'Ha ha! The great Seifer wins yet again!'_  
Squall stared down at the smug beast in his arms.  
"Again with the claws?"  
Zell strutted over to see the cause of the mayhem.  
"And the great hero tames the furious beast with but a touch. All hale Squall, world class SEED and saviour of distressed dogs everywhere!" Zell joked, looking over Squall's shoulder at the cat.  
"When did you get a cat Squall?"  
"Yesterday. Don't touch him, his way of greeting people is not very nice."  
"He seems placid enough with you," Quistis said, coming over to stand by Squall.  
"Hn, you weren't at the end of the wake up call he gave me in Balamb forest," Squall replied.  
"Quite a cute thing, in a weird way," Irvine drawled.  
Seifer crouched low in Squalls arms. Crowds had never bothered him before, but then his was 6 ft tall with a gunblade and the ability to speak. It was a whole different prospective for a smaller size. Seifer let off a warning growl, causing the three onlookers to quickly step back, unwilling to end up like Angelo.  
"Cute? More viscous if you ask me!" Rinoa moaned, drawing the attention away from Seifer.  
"I'm going to go get Angelo fixed up," Rinoa sniffed, leading her cowering dog away.  
"Sorry Rinoa," Squall called out to the retreating girl.  
"So, has he got a name yet?" Selphie asked as Squall placed Seifer on the bench in front of him. Seifer stretched out across the table, happier with the attention now that he had more breathing space.  
"Not yet." Squall replied, staring down at the cat.  
"Mmm, then lets think of one now!" Selphie squealed, leaning with one elbow on the table.  
"How about 'Moggy'?"  
"Na, 'Brute'" Irvine added.  
"How about... Twinkle?"  
"Hiss."  
"Zell, that's a girly name," Selphie said, sighing at the blonde. "Even he knew that it wasn't any good, and he's a cat."  
"Umm, what about 'Pouncer?'"  
"Kitty."  
"Wolfie."  
"Sunny One."  
"Sunny One?"  
"Ok, maybe not."  
The group went on, names going from weird to weirder.  
_'Hyne help me, I'm about to be named by a bunch of idiots.'_  
"Mmmm," Selphie muttered. "None of those names seem to fit kitty over here."  
The group stared at the nameless cat.  
"Let see, he's arrogant, viscous brute with an attitude problem and no good qualities that I've seen just yet," Zell said.  
"Sounds like Seifer," Quistis said giggling.  
"I wonder what happened to him?" Squall said thoughtfully.  
Zell snorted. "Who cares what happened to that jerk. Hopefully he ended up with Ultimecia in hell or somewhere like that. Serves him right."  
"I know what I'm going to name him," Squall said, picking the cat up by it's scruff.  
"Almasy."  
"Almasy?"  
"Yeah. It seems to fit him, and besides, its my cat and my decision so Alamsy he is."  
Zell threw his arms up in defeat.  
"Whatever. Lets eat. I'm starved."  
Seifer rubbed his head against Squall's hand.  
_'Jerk huh? Well fuck you too Zell, but dang, that remark actually hurt.'_  
Squall placed some chopped up meat in front of Seifer.  
"Here you go Almasy."  
"Meow, Purr."

Things just suddenly seemed brighter.

----------------------------------- ------------------------------------------ ------------------------

ANAnother chapter done and posted. I'm quite pleased with myself, i managed to get a chapter up on both my stories at the same time. Thanks to my reviewers, it always makes my day to read them. Remember to read and review, helpful criticsim always welcomed.


	4. chapter 3

Disclaimer: Square Enix, not mine

Warning: . Squall x Seifer, will contain Shonen Ai in later chapters, some swearing.

**Hikiari Heijin:** Don't worry! There's no such thing as a late review! Glad you enjoyed it!  
**Angel of Pure Darkness:** Glad you liked it.  
**Kikay576:** Heres more ;-)!  
**Eternal-Darkness2:** Yeah well, Squall always seemed to have a kind side to him, he just needed a little someone to bring it out...  
**Chrissy Almasy:** Ah, Rinoa bashing... almost as good as Squall/Seifer action...  
**Redrum:** Sorry about the formatting, I'm still trying to figure out a way to present it. Hopefully this chapter won't be so bad.  
**S and S blah:** Glad you enjoyed it! More is on the way!  
**Unity-Song:** Sorry about the short chapters, this one should be a bit longer. As the story gets on, the chapters will most likely get longer.

**Chapter 3**

Squall put his pen down and rubbed his temples. The moment Squall told Cid that he would continue as commander, he knew that he would regret it. It had been a few weeks since the end of the sorceress war and life was finally returning to normal, with a few changes, one being Squall's steady relationship with Rinoa. Squall sighed. She wasn't the smartest person on the block, but she offered security and comfort, so Squall wasn't about to complain. The only thing that they really disagreed on was Almasy. She still hadn't forgiven it for its attack on Angelo, and was forever whining and whinging about it. It didn't help that Almasy seemed to take great pleasure in causing Rinoa pain, pouncing, swiping and basically acting like his namesake – an asshole.  
"Meow."  
Squall looked up at the cat, who was sitting on the corner of the table, looking expectantly up at Squall.  
"Meooow."  
"Hungry huh?"  
"Meow."  
Squall placed the documents on the table before heading to the kitchen. Opening the cupboard, he pulled out a can of cat food.  
"Quistis told me that cats are meant to eat this stuff, so here you go," he said, placing a blob of goo into Seifer's bowl.  
"Cheaper than the steak I've been feeding ya. Eat up."  
Seifer stared at the smelly goo in front of him.  
' There's no way in hell I'm eating that.'  
Seifer put his nose up in the air and turned to leave.  
"Oh no you don't cat. This is cat food and your going to eat it," Squall said, grabbing Seifer and placing him back by the bowl.  
_' No I'm not.'  
_"Eat."  
" Hiss."  
"Eat."  
"Hisss."  
"Eat the food you hyne damn stupid cat!"  
"Umm, Squall?" Quistis called out from the door. Squall turned around.  
"Yes?"  
"you weren't just arguing with a cat were you?"  
"He won't eat the cat food," Squall muttered as he grabbed the escaping cat, placing it back by the bowl.  
"I'm not surprised after all the steak dinners its been getting. Why not rub his face in the bowl, so it knows that its food? Gross sounding, but that what the book says to do."  
"Hm, that might work."  
_' No it won't Squall. It's a bad idea, very eh!'  
_Seifer squirmed as Squall picked him up.  
_' No Squall, don't ...'  
_Splat. Seifer reared his head out of the foul smelling goo.  
_' GROSS!'  
_"MEOOOW! HISS!"  
Seifer tried desperately to rub the stuff off with his paws. Failing that, he took to running around the room, rubbing his face along the carpet.  
_' Yuck!'  
_Squall and Quistis watched the spectacle in amazement.  
"I guess he doesn't like tin food then," Quistis finally said.  
"I believe so," Squall said, watching his cat madly removing all traces of cat food from its face.  
"Here Almasy, here puss."  
Seifer glared up at the brunette.  
_' That was so not cool Squall. Pulling a nasty stunt like that on a poor defenceless kitty. Shame on you. Like I'm going to go near you after that.'  
_Quistis giggled as she watched the cat turn it's back on Squall in a huff, deliberately snubbing its owner.  
" Looks like your sleeping on the couch tonight Squall."  
Squall glared at the blonde.  
"Very funny."  
Yoo-Hoo! Squally! You home?"  
"Yeah Rinoa, I'm here."  
"What are you two doing on the floor?"  
"Trying to get Almasy to eat his cat food." Squall replied.  
"He's not too fussed on it," Quistis added.  
"Tsh. I don't see why you still have it Squall. It's a viscous mongrel of a brute that thinks it rules the roost."  
Seifer glared at the offending girl.  
_' Who you calling a mongrel?'  
_Jumping onto the couch, Seifer crouched down, took aim and leaped into the air, claws extended.  
_' Ha! Take that bitch! He he'  
_"Ahhhhhh!" Rinoa screamed, trying to remove the beast from her back.  
"Get him off. Get Him Off! Squall!"  
Squall jumped up and reefed Seifer off Rinoa. Rinoa stared at the now placid cat in Squall's arms.  
"See what I mean! Vicious mongrel of a cat."  
"He's never attacked me!"  
"Maybe not, but he's attacked Rinoa, myself, Zell, Irvine, Cid, Nida, Xu, the cafeteria lady..." Quistis rattled on, counting of the many names of Seifer's victims.  
"Ok, so maybe he's a bit temperamental, but if you left him alone then he wouldn't of attacked you and besides, he doesn't attack me, and I'm the one that has to live with him, so he stays."  
Rinoa threw her hands up in the air.  
"Fine, keep the bloody cat. I don't know what you see in him though, he's quite an ugly brute."  
"Hiss."  
"I think he's cute, in a weird way, especially with the green eyes," Quistis replied. Seifer allowed her to stroke him as a reward for her compliment.  
"See, Rinoa, if you're nice to him, then he's nice back," Squall said, placing Seifer down on the couch.  
"By the way, what was it that you wanted Rinoa?"  
"I was told to pass on the message that dinners at Selphie's tonight at 7pm. Don't be late. I'm off to go pick my outfit. Bye Squall!" Rinoa said, planting a quick kiss on Squall's lips and taking off out the door.  
"Well, I have class to go to so I'll see you tonight then Squall," Quistis said, walking to the door.  
"Ok, see ya Quistis."  
Squall sat down on the couch.  
"So, steak for dinner tonight Almasy?"  
Seifer turned his back on Squall.  
"What! Damn cat! I'm sorry! Don't you get pissed off with me! Ah man!"

-------------------------------------- -------------------------------------------- ----------------------------

_later that day..._

' _HELP ME!'  
_Seifer ran as fast as his little legs could carry him._  
_"There he is!"  
"Get him Selphie."  
Seifer dodged the petty brunette and skidded down the hallway.  
_' Out of my way!'  
_Selphie jogged up to Rinoa.  
"You _puff_ sure _puff_ that Squall _puff_ wouldn't mind _puff_ if we _puff_ did _puff_ this?"  
"Of course not. It will make that cat nice."  
"Will it?"  
"Yeah, well, at least that's what the book says."  
"But Squall..."  
"Look, you want the cat to stop attacking everyone?"  
"Yeah..."  
"Well, this is the only way. Tom cats are viscous by nature, but once neutered, they become the nicest cats in the world."  
"And the book says that?"  
"Yep."  
Selphie instantly perked up.  
" Ok then! Now where did the little bugger go?"  
Rinoa spotted their target peeing out from behind the bushes.  
"There he is! Get him!"  
"Meow!"  
Seifer ran as fast as he could, with the two girls in hot pursuit.  
_' Squall! Anyone! SAVE ME!'  
_Seifer bursted out into the courtyard.  
_' Ok, now where?'  
_Spotting Irvine and Zell walking across the yard, Seifer shrugged his shoulders.  
_' Ok, so maybe they're not exactly the best people for the job, but they'll do.'  
_" Meow!"  
"Ahh shit!" Zell cried out as Seifer climbed up onto his shoulders, spitting at the approaching girls.  
"Zell! You caught him! Thanks dude!" Selphie said, coming to a stop in front of the two perplexed boys, Rinoa close behind.  
"Ah yeah sure. What do you want with the viscous mongrel anyway?  
_' Hey, what's with the viscous mongrel stuff?'  
_"We're going to go get him neutered so that he becomes a nice happy cat."  
" What, neutering! You can't just go get his balls cut off! It's just not right!" Zell exclaimed.  
_' I never thought I'd say this, but I love you chicken wuss.'  
_"Ya know, he's right girls," Irvine drawled. "It would be like cutting our balls off or something. Besides, even if you did get his neutered, I doubt that he'd be any nicer. Being mean is just part of his personality."  
"Yeah, he'd most likely become even meaner. By the way, does Squall know you're planning this?"  
"Ah, well, no," Selphie said, staring at the ground.  
Irvine shook his head.  
"Yeah well, I think you better go and let the cat be, unless you wish to invoke Squall's wrath."  
"Yeah, he's awfully protective of this thing you know. Wouldn't want to make him made now would ya?"  
"I guess not. Come on Rinoa, let's go get some thing to eat. All this running around has made me hungry."  
The two girls walked off together, leaving the 2 boys and cat in the middle of the court yard.  
_' Huh so there.'_ Seifer thought as he jumped off from his perch and made his way through the crowd. Zell turned to Irvine.  
"Ah, Irvine,"  
"Yes Zell?"  
"Don't you think that it's a bit strange?"  
" What's strange?"  
"That the cat actually knew what neutering meant."  
The two boys stared after the cat.

-------------------------------------------------- ----------------------------------- ---------------------------

"What you doing out here Almasy?" Squall said opening the door to his room.  
_'You wouldn't believe the day I had. First I had my face pushed into that disgusting goo you tried to pass off as food, then I fell off the bench and landed on my arse – who ever said that cats always landed on their feet was a liar - and then I had two psychotic witches try to de-man me, and that's not all! I then had a bunch of first years try to rip me apart limb by limb while trying to pat me as I waited for you to come home. By the way, expect at least 5 reports on your desk from Dr K in the morning' _Seifer thought conversationally as he padded through the door.  
_'From now on I'm sticking close to you. Heard from Edea yet?'_  
Squall flopped down on the couch, one arm splayed across his face and the other reaching out for Seifer.  
_'You know Squall, you really like a lot of comfort for an ice prince,'_ Seifer though as he rubbed up against Squall's hand. Squall grabbed Seifer around his stomach and planted him onto his chest.  
"Good kitty."  
"Purr."  
"Fuck I had the worst day today. First I had to deal with my "father", the Rinoa gave me an ear bashing because I couldn't go out tonight with her, and then Cid phoned me to tell me that he stuffed up the files for the last 5 SEED missions so I have to go and redo all those again. Its times like these that I really wished I had stayed in bed," Squall said, stroking the cat.  
_'That's not all that's bothering you, is it Squall?'_  
"I just hate the way she's always trying to change me. How they all try to change me. I'm not some thing that can be moulded to what everyone want me to be. I know I'm too introverted for my own good sometimes, but it doesn't mean that I have to wear my heart on my sleeve all the time. I like being alone sometimes, to sort myself out you know? I don't need everyone to know what's going on in my head. I just wish that they accepted that I am who I am, and to get over it. The worst thing is that they have never tried to understand, always coming up with their own opinions of what's good for, how I should act." Squall sighed.  
"I guess the only one who bothered to try to understand me was Seifer. He always had a way of looking out for me without smothering me, forcing me to acknowledge the world while giving me the space I needed. I guess that's why I always pushed him away. I was scared of the way he could look past the barriers I put up around me so easily. In that sense, I guess he was the only real friend I had. I never realised how much I've missed his since he joined up with Ultimecia," Squall continued. "I wonder where he is now?"  
Seifer stared at the brunette. _'All those years you pushed me away, and I always thought it was because you hated me, though I would of called you my friend. Maybe we both needed a bit of space to realise how important our friendship was.' _Squall suddenly stood up, knocking the cat to the floor.  
"Fuck, I need a break. I'm spilling my guts out to a cat. Come on Almasy, lets get something to eat huh?  
"Meow."  
Squall looked down at his cat with a smile.  
"I guess that's why I named you Almasy. You act tough and rough, just like him, but you're always there."  
_'Of course I am Squall, that's what friends are for, and don't you ever forget it!'_

AN:: Another chapter done! Next chapter will see Ultimecia's return. Enjoy and remember to read and review. (I even managed to reply this time! ;-) )


	5. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer:** Square Enix, not mine

**Warning:** . Squall x Seifer, will contain Shonen Ai in later chapters, some swearing

**Hikari Hejin** - It might be a while before Seifer gets turned back, but i'm goign to love writing Squall's reaction. Glad you find it funny, thats the whole point of this fic.

**Konekomh **- lol i can so see Chibi Squall cuddling up to kitty Seifer, butcher Rinoa and roach Ultimecia!

**Unity-Song** - Sorry about the grammer and spelling mistakes, I'm not very good at that stuff. Hopefully there's little or no mistakes in this chapter.

**Redrum **- Thaks for the tip, it looks much better now. Cats and dogs seem to know when neuterings going to be involved, (but i bet they don't use Zell as a human shield ;-) )

**Angel of Pure Darkness** - hmm, that could work...

**GothicAngelEyeS** - i think it would be more Shonen Ai than yaoi, unless nobody minds the rating going up. (Seifer won't always be a cat)

**S and S blah** - Glad its entertaining. a kiss huh? so many ideas, so many ways this story can go... :-)

**Udonlovr4 **- Glad you like it.

* * *

**Chapter 4**

"Squally Poo!"

Squall opened the door to let in Rinoa.

"Good evening Rinoa."

"Look Squall!" Rinoa said, holding up a bottle of wine and chocolate. "Since you're too tired to come out tonight, I decided to stay home too and make it a night in, just the two of us."

"Meow."

Rinoa stared at the cat wrapped around Squall's leg.

"And that means that you're outside for tonight. I still have marks from yesterday cat," Rinoa said, lifting Seifer up by his scruff and dumping him outside, slamming the door in his face.

"Rinoa, I don't think he should be outside..."

"Oh tsh Squall. It's a cat, not a child. It will survive being outside for a few hours."

"His name is Almasy."

"What ever. _Almasy_ will be fine. Now do you have any wine glasses..."

---------------------- ----------------------------- ---------------------------------- ------------------

Seifer stared at the shut door in a huff.

_'Why I never! How dare she kick me out of my own home. How dare Squall let her! What the fuck?'_

Seifer leapt to his feet, fur on end as he looked about for the source of the funny feeling.

'_Maybe its Angelo or something...'_ Seifer thought unconvincingly as he stared into the darkness.

_'I guess I better take a look.'_

Seifer crept down the hallway.

_'I don't like this. The feeling's getting stronger.'_

_Tap. Tap. Tap._

"Hiss."

Seifer jumped into the nearest bush and gazed down the hallway, waiting for the arrival of the source of the feeling.

_'I know this feeling. It's the same feeling Rinoa and Ultimecia gave off, though in different extents. A sorceress is nearby and I don't think its Edea coming for a surprise visit.'_

Seifer crouched low as the footsteps came closer. From behind the cover of bushes, Seifer saw a brown boot appear, attached to a jean-cladded leg. Seifer looked up at the stranger. Her hair was brown, barely reaching her shoulders. Her features were quite plain, not beautiful, but not ugly either, kinda pretty, in a bland way, but Seifer guessed that there was more than met the eye.

_'Its so strange. She feels like...'_

_Russle _

The sorceress snapped her head towards the bushes, giving Seifer a view of her golden eye.

_'Ultimecia! She's alive!'_

Ultimecia stared into the darkness.

"I know you're there, worthless knight. I can sense you, and I guess that you can sense me well enough as well. How do you like being a cat? I thought it was the perfect animal for you. Cats appear tough and careless on the outside, but in reality their claws a harmless, just like you. I must admit, I'm surprised to find you here. I do hope that you haven't grown attached to Squall and his crew, they're not going to be around for much longer. They shall pay for what they did to me, especially Squall Leonhart. However, I am ready to forgive you for your failings, if you join me once more. We shall rule the world together, for this time I will not fail."

Seifer flatted himself on the ground, ears pulled down low.

"No? No need to make up your mind just yet, knight of mine. I'm going to be here for a while. I plan to take down Squall from the one place that he would never expect – His precious Garden. I've just enrolled as a student today. Quistis herself watched as I signed her death warrant. Some sorceress hunter she turned out to be. And you know what Seifer? You're the only one who knows, and there's nothing you can do about it! You failed to become SeeD, Failed as my knight, and now you're going to fail to save your friends. Isn't life grand?"

Ultimecia threw back her head and laughed.

"If you change your mind, just look me up. I'm going under the name of Jewel. Good-bye for now, sweet worthless knight of mine. Remember to use the kitty litter now."

Seifer watched as Ultimecia departed, strutting down the hallway to her new dorm.

_'No, she can't be alive. I saw her die. I must warn Squall!'_

Seifer bolted up towards Squall's room and crashed into the door.

"MEOW MEOW MEOOOOOWWWWW"

A disgusted Squall opened the door.

"Almasy, what's all this noise about?"

_'Squall, quick! Ultimecia's alive and she's after you! She enrolled as a student and plans to take you all down. Squall!'_

Squall watched in wonder at his distressed cat. Picking Seifer up, he cradled him in his arms, stroking Seifer's fur softly.

"Hey hey, what's wrong? Did some big mean dog scare you or something?"

_'No, Ultemecia's alive damn it and she's going to kill you!'_

"I doubt that Squall. That would require a dog bigger, uglier and scarier than him, and I doubt that you would ever find one that fitted those requirements," Rinoa said, shaking her head as she watched her boyfriend fuss over his cat.

"Then what's the matter with him, if you're so smart," Squall sniped.

"Hey, don't get like that Squall. He most likely rolled in some catnip or something like that. He'll be fine. Just ignore him and we can pick up where we left off," Rinoa said, wrapping her arm around Squall's waist.

_'Yo, you listening to me? And who said you could touch my Squall like that? Back off bitch.'_

"Oww! He bit my arm!"

_'Serves you right bitch. Now stop distracting Squall, I'm trying to tell him something important. If you weren't such a shit arse sorceress I would try to get you to change me back, but I'd rather eat tin food than let you point your finger at me. Now scram.'_

Squall arched an eyebrow at Rinoa.

"Catnip? Here? I'm sorry Rinoa, but I think there's something really wrong with him," Squall replied, staring down at his distressed cat.

"Tsh fine. I know who takes priority around here," Rinoa replied bitterly, storming out of Squall's room. Squall didn't bother taking his eyes from his cat as the door slammed shut.

"Hey Almasy, what's wrong? Stood on a thorn or something?'

'_No Squall. Ultemecia's _here._ In Garden. As a cadet. You have to understand Squall.'_

"Meow!"

Squall shook his head.

"I'm sorry kitty, but I don't understand what you're trying to say...huh?"

Squall stared down at the now limp cat in his arms.

_'She's right. I am a failure. I can't even give Squall a simple message. I'm sorry Squall.'_

Squall stared in alarm at his limp cat.

"Almasy? Come on kitty, don't you get sick on me. Um, um, I know. We'll go see Quistis. She might know what's wrong."

Squall ran up to Quistis' room and banged on the door with his foot. Rubbing her eyes sleepily, she opened her door to see a distressed Squall with a very dead looking cat in his arms.

"Oh hyne Squall! He's not dead is he?"

"No, but there's something very wrong with him. I let him out for a wonder tonight and then suddenly he's banging and scratching at the door, so I let him in, and he's meowing and carrying on, and then he just dropped. Can you help me please?"

Quistis stared at the brunette in front of her, looking close to tears as he held his cat close to him.

'_Wow, I've never seen Squall so distressed before.'_

"Of course Squall. Bring him in."

Squall followed Quistis to the dinning area, where he placed Seifer down onto the table. Seifer just flopped down in place, uncaring of the uncomfortable position he was in.

_'She right. I am a failure. Quistis, Selphie, Irvine, Zell, Squall, they're all going to die because of me, because I can't do a simple thing right.'_

Quistis stared at the lifeless cat.

"Wow, you weren't kidding Squall. He really looks down in the dumps."

Quistis proceeded to look Seifer over, with Seifer ignoring the pokes and prods as he wallowed in self-pity.

"He didn't even move once during the whole time. Nothing seems to be wrong with him physically, no broken bones, wounds or thorns, nor does he look like he wants to be sick. I'm sorry Squall, but I have no idea what's wrong. Why don't you wait til tomorrow and see how he is then. Maybe he might come right."

Squall just nodded as he scooped up his cat.

"Thanks Quistis." Squall said as he headed for the door.

"Anytime Squall. Get some rest and I'll come by tomorrow morning to see how he is then. Bye Squall."

"Bye."

Squall made his way back to his room and gently placed Seifer onto one of his pillows.

"Just for tonight Almasy," Squall said softly, stroking Seifer as he fell asleep.

'_I'm sorry Squall, for failing you again.'_

------------------------------ ---------------------------------------- ---------------------------------------------

"How is he?"

"A little better. I got him to take few bites of sausage, but he just lies there. Normally he's up and about, playing mock battles with me, but he's not even interested."

Quistis frowned as she took a sip of coffee.

"Hmm, why don't we take him to the vets? They might know what's wrong."  
Squall sighed.

"I guess that's all we can do."

Quistis smiled at Squall.

"You know Squall, it's surprising to see you so worked up over something, especially a cat."  
  
"Yeah well, he all most seems like a person at times you know. So, shall we go now while we have the time off?"

"Sure Squall, but you're carrying him. I don't want to end up covered in scratches if he suddenly perks up," Quistis said, grabbing her bag. Squall picked up his cat and headed outside.

"Yo! Guys!"

Squall turned around to see Zell running towards him with a young cadet in tow.

"Hey Squall, just the person I needed to see. What's with the cat?"

Zell stared at the limp animal in Squall's arms.

"Did Rinoa and Selphie go ahead with it?"

"Go ahead with what?"

"Oh nothing. So what's wrong. I'm scratch free."

Squall looked down at Seifer.

"I don't know. He went all spastic last night and then just dropped. I'm taking him to the vets. So what is it that you wanted?"

"Oh, just to talk to you about training. You see, this young cadet wants to learn the gunblade..."

Seifer listened disinterestedly to the conversation, burrowing himself into Squall's arms.

"...So, what's your name cadet?"

"It's Jewel sir and I would be honoured if you would teach me the gunblade."

Seifer looked up in horror at the cadet.

_'Ultimecia! Watch out Squall!'_

"Meow Hiss!"

Squall looked in amazement as his cat suddenly came to life in his arms, spitting and hissing at Jewel.

"Hey! He's feeling better Squall! Maybe he got bored of the same victims and needed a new target. I swear the thing's addicted to scratching. Maybe he needs to scratch up one person a day to stay healthy. I would prefer an apple though," Zell exclaimed, pushing Jewel behind him and out of reach of Seifer's claws.

_'Zell, you know what I said yesterday? Well, I take it back. Come on, you both fought Ultimecia before. Why can't you sense her?'_

Jewel smirked at the struggling cat.

"Oh, isn't he a darling! If you're having problems with his behaviour, neutering always helps," she said, smiling at the cat.

_'What is it with everyone and neutering?'_

"Whatever. Look, I've got to go and deal with this so go to my office sometime today and organise with Xu a schedule for training."

Jewel saluted. "Yes Sir! Thank you sir!"

_'Perfect.'_

--------------------------------------------- ------------------------------------------------ ---------------------------------

_'No Squall! That's not a cadet!'_

Seifer squirmed in Squalls arms as Squall sat down on the couch.

"Hey hey, settle down kitty. That's a good boy," Squall said soothingly, stroking his cat.

"Good boy. Calm down fella."

Seifer stopped his squirming as Squall continued to stroke.

_'Fuck, this isn't getting me anywhere. There must be something I can do.'_

Seifer laid across Squall's lap.

_'The only thing I can really do is scratch up people – not much help against a sorceress. If I got my own body back, I could do something, but until then I will just have to look out for Squall. Yes.'_

Strengthen his resolve, Seifer stood up and nuzzled against Squall's face, licking him once on the cheek.

_'Don't worry Squall. I've got your back. I won't fail you this time, not again, that I promise you.'_

* * *

AN: Ultimecia's return. I wasn't meaning to go for the sappy ending again, but that just seemed like a good place to end this chapter. A bit off topic, has anyone seen _Wolf's Rain?_ Good anime. The reason why I brought it up was cuz one of the main guys, Kiba, looks like Squall with the same hairstyle as Leon (Squall from Kingdom Hearts). Or at least I think so. Remember to read and review, Helpful criticism welcomed. 


	6. Chapter 5

Disclaimer: Square Enix, not mine

Warning: . Squall x Seifer, will contain Shonen Ai in later chapters, some swearing.

Rating may go up later.

**Angel of pure darkness:** Yeah well, cockroaches are always hard to kill.

**Unity-Song:** I'm glad my formats working better. Squall is quite the mother hen!

**Gothic angel eyes:** I understand complete. I've just finished 1 essay and a prototype, and somehow managed to write up some chapters for both of my fics. I'm pooped.

**Redrum:** Yeah, Squall's going to be so fun to write. It's just deciding what he's reaction's going to be when he finally does see Seifer...

**Verdiani:** Glad you like it

**Konekomh: **A hammer might work better... :D

**Hikari Heijin:** Don't worry, he'll keep on trying. Anything for his dear Squall...

* * *

Chapter 5 

Seifer watched from above as Squall began his first lesson with Jewel.

_'Go ahead bitch, try and make your move. I'll be waiting and watching and you won't get away with it.'_

"Like this sir?" Jewel held up the weapon with two hands, straining to keep it up in the air. Squall sighed and walked towards the cadet.

"No, like..."

SWIPE

Squall barely had time to jump back as the blade swung around, nearly splitting his stomach open.

"Hey! Watch what you're doing!"

"Sorry sir, I didn't mean too," Jewel said sheepishly, mentally cursing Squall's fast reflexes. Seifer bridled at the first attack.

_'Try doing that again and you'll be feeling my claws bitch.'_

After positioning Jewel's hands properly on the blade, Squall stepped back and grabbed his gunblade, moving into his fighting stance.

"Ok, today we will just be getting the feel of the weapon..."

Seifer watched the rest of the training session in boredom. Because she wasn't actually facing Squall in a fight, Ultimecia was unable to launch an attack on Squall, something Seifer was glad for. Just because she didn't know how to use the gunblade properly, it didn't mean that she couldn't slice him up still, and taking on a gunblade in this form was not Seifer's idea of fun. Waiting until the two had left the training room, Seifer quickly tailed Squall to his office, sliding in unnoticed by the brunette. Squall placed his gunblade next to the bookshelf and sat at his desk. It had been a long time since Squall had trained with another gunbladist, and it made him feel the loss of his rival.

'_I never feel the challenge any more. I wonder where he is, how he's doing? If he's still alive._' Squall frowned. It had never occurred to him the Seifer could be dead. He was too much of an arrogant prick to be killed of that easily. The thought that he might be dead left Squall with a strange emptiness inside him.

"Meow."

Squall looked up to see Almasy standing on his desk, nearly touching noses with him.

"Oh, what are you doing here? Got a bit lonely huh? Well, if you promise not to attack anyone, you can stay here with me ok?"

"Meow."

Seifer nuzzled against Squall's arm.

"I'll take that as a yes then," Squall said as he stroked his cat before placing him on the floor. Jumping onto the couch, Seifer sprawled on out and made himself at home.

---------------------------- ---------------------------------- ---------------------------------------

Zell stared at the young gunbladist in front of him.

"Hello there ... Jewel. What can I do for ya?" Jewel smiled up at the unsuspecting blonde.

"I just wanted to thank you for introducing me to Squall. It is such an honour to be trained by him and it was only possible because of you, so I brought you a gift to show my gratitude," Jewel said, smiling sweetly up at Zell, holding out a blue box, tied with a pink ribbon. "I even glued the ribbon onto the base so you don't lose it."

Zell smiled as he reached out for the box, opening it carefully.

"Why thank you Jewel, though there was no need to get me a gift. It's ... lovely." Zell pulled out a small pendant attached to a string, covered with dobs of colour and a small feather.

"Thank you, I made it myself, as well as the brownies." Zell smiled falsely as he draped the hideous object around his neck, unwilling to offend the young cadet.

"Thank you Jewel. It's a lovely gift. I have to go now, but these brownies will do just the trick during today's meeting."

Jewel beamed up at Zell.

"Ok then, enjoy."

Zell watched as the young cadet bounded off.

'Weird, but in a nice way I guess. I'm glad she took up gunblading instead of art. I hope her cooking's better. Man, Squall's going to kill me for being late.'

-------------------------- ------------------------------------ -----------------------------------------------

"You're late."

Zell winced as Squall's cold voice cut across the room, causing the rest of the gang to glare at him.

"Ah, sorry Squall, I got held up talking to a cadet sir."

Squall just glared at the blonde.

"Sit down so we can start."

Zell made his way over to the couch, taking his place next to Quistis.

"What's up his arse?" he whispered.

"Rinoa wasn't too happy to find that the cat had taken up residence in Squall's office, and decided to tell him that."

"It's here?"

Zell looked up, and sure enough, The Beast, aka, Almasy the Cat, was stretched across Squall's desk, batting at one of Squall's office ordainments that Selphie had given him for his birthday. This particular one had a small metal ball attached to a string that swayed around when batted out, which seemed to amuse the killer cat to no end.

_'Heh, small things amuse small minds.'_

"Zell."

Zell lifted his gaze from the cat to Squall.

"Yes Squall?"

"Repeat the last two sentences I just said."

"Ah, erm," Zell stumbled. Squall narrowed his eyes.

"Pay attention. Now, the President of Esther is holding..."

Zell's hand rummaged quietly through the box of brownies. Waiting until Squall had turned his gaze back to the computer; he opened his mouth to take a bite...

"MEOW!"

"HEY! THATS MY BISCUIT YOU MONGREL OF A CAT!" Zell screamed, jumping up and grabbing the offending cat, biscuit still in mouth.

"You little mongrel! Give it back!" Zell yelled, shaking Seifer, teeth firmly clenched around the brownie.

"Zell! What are you doing!"

"Teaching your cat a lesson. I've put up with it scratching, biting, glaring at me, but stealing my food ... that goes beyond my tolerance Squall!"

Swinging his head, Seifer released the biscuit, sending it hurling out the window.

"Ah! My food!" Zell screamed, dropping the cat as he peered out the window. Squall sighed as he watched the spectacle. By now Selphie was rolling on the floor, laughing, with Irvine looking to join her as well. Quistis managed to hide her laughter a bit better, but not by much.

_'Hyne...'_

"Zell, it was a biscuit. And a biscuit that wasn't suppose to be here as well."

Zell sighed as he slumped back onto the couch.

"I know. Jewel, the cadet you're training, gave me them as a thankyou gift on my way up."

Squall held his hand out.

"The rest Zell. You can have them back after the meeting ok."

Zell sighed as he tied the ribbon back on and held the box out to Squall.

"Here you go...HEY!"

Squall and Zell stared as the offending cat ran, box held firmly between it's teeth by the ribbon, as it jumped up by the window.

"Meow."

The box fell into oblivion. Zell's fist clenched.

"Squall..."

"Ah, sorry?"

"That's it Squall! That. Is. Not. A. Cat. – It's a demon or something. Cats don't just chuck boxes of my food out of the window."

"Zell, clam down," Selphie said, jumping up and restraining the angry blonde.

"It wasn't deliberate. Almasy was just playing a game with you, meowed and accidentally dropped the box out of the window, that's all. It's not a demon, and it's not out to get you. He gets everyone else as well. Its just his personality. Nothing demonic at all."

"I wouldn't be too sure about that," Zell mumbled rebelliously. Squall reached across, plucked Seifer off the windowsill, and sat back down, placing Seifer onto his lap.

"Sorry Zell. How about I phone the cafeteria and get the to hold a couple of hotdogs for lunch ok?"

Zell immediately brightened.

"Ok then. But the cat's still in my bad books thought."

Squall sighed and the meeting returned to normalcy.

'_Good grief, why me?'_

Seifer laid across Squall's lap, purring contently with himself.

'_I _knew_ there was something fishy with that box. Stupid bitch, trying to pull a stunt like that.'_

Squall stared down at the cat as the other's left and he arranged for Zell's lunch.

"What am I going to do with you?"

_'Just love me, pat me and feed me some lunch.'_

--------------------- ----------------------------- ---------------------------- -----------------------

'_So maybe he was able to prevent the idiot from eating the poisoned brownies, but Zell still has the pendent on and as long as he wears that, his energy is _mine

---------------------------- ----------------------------------- ---------------------------------------

Seifer batter lazily as the colour magnets in front of him. Selphie, in a fit of madness (or sanity, depending on how you normally viewed her,) decided to get something for Seifer to play with that was "bright, colourful and something no other kitty would have!" So the girl went and brought coloured magnets, you know, the plastic ones shaped as numbers and letter that little kids stuck on the fridge. Selphie's excuse for the weird present was because they were bright, light weight and all different shapes, which would keep the cat amused, or at least, that was what The Book said. When Seifer was human again, he planned to find The Book and burn it as revenge for all the trouble it has caused him.

_'Like a cat would understand what these are.'_

Seifer sat up with a start.

'_But I can!'_

Jumping up, Seifer peered at the magnets in front of him.

_'Ummm.'_

Seifer tried focusing on the letters, but the bright colours and close range made it harder for him to identify the letters.

_'But not impossible.'_

Placing a paw on the closest magnet in front of him, he traced his paw along the outside.

_'This would be so much easier with hands, but it's working – I think.'_

Seifer was halfway through sorting out the letters from the numbers when the door opened, letting in a exhausted Squall.

"Hi Almasy, I'm home... ah!"

Seifer watched in horror as Squall slipped on the magnets and fell onto the tiled floor.

'_Ah my piles!'_

Squall glared at the cat.

"That's it. I'm sick of those things getting under my feet all the time."

Standing up, he grabbed the plastic magnets up and shoved them roughly into a container on the bench, screwing the lid on tightly.

"There, no more spills."

Seifer stared dejectedly at the container.

_'It was a good idea while it lasted.'_

Walking across to the couch, Seifer jumped up and slumped across Squall's lap. Squall stared down at the sulking cat.

"Sulking cause I took your toys huh?"

"Meow."

Squall smiled and scratched behind Seifer's ears.

"Some times it seems as though you understand every word I say, though Rinoa thinks its strange to talk to your cat like that. Maybe she's right."

Seifer nuzzled against Squall.

'_Na, don't listen to her. I like it when you talk to me. It makes me feel ... human. I liked it back in the orphanage, when we use to go to the light house, just the two of us and talk about anything that came to our minds. I missed those times, though I never admitted it. I pretended not to care when you became so cold and uncaring, and even managed to fool myself for a while. The GF's helped with that a bit too. I just wish we could pick up from there, and just miss those years at Garden. Neither of us were very good company, though I always strove to be near you. I just want to be me again.'_

"Oh well, I don't care what she says anymore. I'm not even sure why I'm still with her. Sure it was good for a while, and I would have to be blind to say that she's not beautiful, but she just... not for me."

_'Yeah Squall, you get rid of that lump of sack.'_

"But then I'll be alone again."

_'Tsh, no you won't. You have your friends, Edea, Cid, others and me too. You were never alone, you just pretended to be. Just open your eyes and you will see. Hey, that rhymed.'_

"Ah, all this emotional craps making me hungry. Lets eat. Tomorrow Quistis and I will be taking the first years out on a field trip. Hyne that's going to be hell. Better eat well and get a good night sleep then."

Later, Seifer laid across the top of Squall's pillow, swiping gently at the sleeping brunette's hair.

'_Tomorrow's field trip would be the perfect time for Ultimecia to attack. There must be some way I could go._' Seifer laid his head down, plans forming in his head as he fell asleep.

* * *

AN: a bit shorter this time, but i've had lots of essays and assignments to do and all that stuff. I know most people say that cats are colour blind but in this fic, he can see perfectly fine. i quite enjoyed writing Zell's part, theres just so much you can do with him. Remember to read and review . 


	7. Chapter 6

Disclaimer: Square Enix, not mine.

Warning: Will contain shonen ai, maybe yaoi if rating goes up. Seifer/Squall. Some swearing.

**GothicAngelEyeS: **I don't know why, but i have a soft spot for Quistis as well, and you can see it in my fics. Congrats on your marks!

**Hikari Heijin**: Who would of thought brownies were so bad for you...

**Konekomh:** I'm pretty sure there's going to be some snuggling, and maybe a bit more... ;-)

**Verdiani:** Thanks. Glad you're enjoying it.

**Unity-Song:** So close yet so far...

**Redrum:** I got the image of Seifer swiping at Squall's hair in my head one night, and just had to put it in somewhere. (It's what inspired me to write this chapter, i just couldn't finish my essays with it in my head! ;-) )

* * *

Chapter 6

'_Great idea Seifer, real great. Ow!'_

Squall shifted his bag to his other shoulder.

"Fuck this thing is heavy."

Quistis smiled at the grumbling brunette.

"You know Squall, if you used both straps at the same time like you're meant to, then it wouldn't be so heavy. Now stop grumbling like the paper pusher you've become and take it like a man."

Squall glared at the laughing blonde.

"Ah shut up. I'm sure that the bag's heavier than it should be."

"We'll check it out we get to the site. I'm going up front to take over from Instructor Apen. You going to be alright back here?"

Squall just grunted as he shifted the bag again.

'_Ow! What the hell you doing Squall? Bloody jumping in the streams or something?'_

Quistis smiled and rushed up to the front of the group, smiling encouragingly at the tired cadets.

----------------------- ---------------------------------- --------------------------------------

Squall shifted the bag for a third time.

"Fuck!"

Squall dropped his bag down onto the ground and reefed the zipper open. Green eyes stared up at him from the depths. Squall silently pulled his cat out of the bag, shock clearly written on his face.

'_Heh heh, hi Squall.'_

"Meow."

"What hell are you doing in there Almasy?" Squall sighed.

"Well that explains the extra weight. When we get back, I'm putting you on a diet."

Squall placed Seifer back into the bag, leaving the zippers open at the top.

"You'll just have to stay in there for now. Really, you're quite a stupid cat sometimes."

'_Hey!'_

Squall carefully placed the bag onto his back, and set off to catch up with the others.

----------------- ----------------------- ------------------- --------------------------------------

Quistis waited at the end of the clearing.

'_Really Squall, it shouldn't take you that long.'_

Quistis caught sight of the brunette carefully making his way over.

"Sorry Quistis. You're not going to believe why my bag's so heavy."

"Meow."

Quistis stared at the furry head poking out the top of Squalls' bag.

"You have got to be kidding me."

"Nope. He must have climbed in this morning when I was doing my final check and got stuck, though I'm surprised that he didn't make any noise."

Quistis sighed and shook her head.

"Really Squall, that cat is like way too attached to you. It's always within a few meters of you wherever you go."

"Well, I can't do anything about it now. It will give the cadets a good laugh at least."

"Meow."

Seifer slithered out of the bag and jumped to the ground, pleased that he had managed to pull his little stunt off.

'_Now, where's that bitch of a sorceress?'_

Seifer scanned the camp, ignoring the giggles from the young cadets as they spotted the commander's cat.

'_There she is.'_

Seifer spotted the deceptive sorceress sitting with a group of newly recruited Treppies.

'Treppies huh? Better keep an eye on Quistis then.'

"Hey Squall. I'm heading out with some cadets to gather the firewood needed for the next exercise," Quistis called out.

"Sure thing."

Quistis walked over to the bunch of treppies, the only people who would jump at doing any boring jobs, just as long as it was with her.

'_Why did I get stuck with the crazies?'_

"Right, I need some volunteers to come and collect up some firewood."

All hands shot up.

"Fine then, come with me."

Seifer followed close behind.

"Instructor Trepe, would it be better if we split up into pairs? We would gather more firewood that way," Jewel's voice rang out. Quistis smiled at the cadet.

"Good idea Jewel. Right people; split yourselves up into teams of two. Jewel, you can be with me."

Jewel smiled at her good fortune.

-------------------------------- ------------------------------- --------------------------------

Seifer split off from the main group, focusing on following Quistis and Jewel through the forest.

_'Why me? I could be back in my room, curled up on my pillow and sleeping peacefully, but no, I had to come out to the forest, filled with big scary monsters, following an evil sorceress. So much fun.'_

Jumping over a root, Seifer kept the two females in sight.

_'I must admit, she's quite good, but not good enough.'_

"Instructor Treppe! How about we look over that way? There seems to be plenty of fallen brunches there."

"Sure thing."

Ultimecia smiled. She had spent the whole of the previous night going over maps of the area, memorising the terrain, and if she was correct, there was a hidden ravine nearby.

_'Too bad Quistis wasn't watching where she was going. A terrible accident to befall one of the Great Heroes.'_

Continuing unsuspectingly, Quistis gathered a small load of twigs, just noticing the edge of the small cliff.

"Careful Jewel of the AH!"

'_Watch out Quistis!'_

Seifer watched in horror as Ultimecia reached out and gave Qusitis a firm push.

'_No!'_

"MEOW HISS!"

Seifer leapt with all claws out, landing on top of Jewel and reaching his paw out helplessly for Quistis. If he had been human, he would have caught her, but instead he watched her eyes widen in surprise as she tumbled backwards over the edge.

'_No! Quistis!'_

"MEOW! HISS! MEOW!"

"AH! Get off me you wretched thing! How dare you interfere, worthless knight of mine!"

'_I'm not your knight!'_

"MEOW!"

Quistis cracked her eye open as she heard the ruckus from up above her.

'_Worthless knight? Seifer? Ultimecia?_' An image of the cat reaching out to grab her fluttered across her mind as she fell into unconsciousness.

_'Seifer...'_

-------------- ------------------- ----------------- -------------------- ---------------------- --------

Squall ran towards the shrieks.

_'Hyne, what the fucks going on?'_

Squall ran into the small clearing, finding Jewel in the process of ripping Almasy off, who was slashing out like there was no tomorrow. The young cadet was covered in scratches and looking not too pleased.

"What's going on!"

Both cadet and cat stopped their struggle and stared at the angry brunette.

"Meow!"

Seifer jumped down and ran over the ledge, looking up towards Squall.

_'C'mon Squall! Quistis is down there and she needs help!'_

"Meow!"

Squall walked over to his cat.

"What now... holy shit!"

"You!" he thundered to a nearby cadet. "Get back to camp and tell instructor Apen to radio for help now. Quistis is badly injured and requires urgent medical assistance. MOVE IT!"

He snapped his head around to face Jewel.

"You will remain where you are until I come and talk to you. Is that clear?"

Jewel just nodded her head as Squall hunted around for a safe way to get down to Quistis. Sliding down an overgrown track, Squall ran over to Quistis, followed closely by Seifer.

"Quistis. Quistis. Can you hear me?"

No response.

Squall checked for her pulse.

'_A little erratic, but it might be from the pain she'll be in. She's still breathing, which is always a good sign.'_

Squall quickly cast cura over the blonde.

_'Nothing else we can do until we get her back to Garden.'_

Seifer stared down at the unconscious blonde.

_'I'm sorry Quistis.'_

-------------------------------------- -------------------------------------- --------------------------

"How is she?"

"She has quite a few broken bones and bruises, but otherwise she'll live. She's still sleeping so try not to disturb her."

Squall nodded.

"Thank you doctor."

Squall glanced over towards Quistis, sleeping soundly in the hospital bed; Almasy curled up next to her.

_'Almasy? How did he... a fuck it.'_

In no mood to work out his cat's uncanny way of appearing in the weirdest places, he took a seat in the chair next to Quistis. He had called the others and Edea, who dropped everything to make her way to Garden.

_'Fuck.'_

_--------------------------------------- ------------------------------------------------ --------------------------------_

Seifer snuggled up to Quistis.

_'I'm sorry for failing you Quistis. I should of done something sooner.'_

"Ow," Quistis moaned softly.

"Quistis."

Quistis opened her eyes, blinded for a second by the bright lights. Feeling her pillow move, she turned to face the cat next to her.

"Don't worry Seifer, you did your best."

Quistis closed her eyes.

"Quistis?" Squall called out, nudging the blonde gently, but she had drifted off again.

Squall stared, perplexed.

_'Seifer? Maybe she got confused by the name Almasy.'_

Seeing Dr K quietly motioning to him, he grabbed his cat and made his way out.

Seifer stared at Quistis.

'Hyne, she knows.'

Seifer gave the sleeping blonde a quick nudge.

'Don't worry, I'll find someway of warning Squall. Just rest up.'

Squall reached across.

"C'mon kitty. We need to go and speck to the other's before Edea gets here."

"Meow."

-------------------------------------------------------- ---------------------------------------

Squall looked at the group in front of him.

"What happened out there Squall?" Irvine asked, cradling a crying Selphie in his arms.

"Well cadet Jewel said that Almasy pounced onto Quistis, startling her and causing her to fall backwards into the ravine, but if that was true, then there would be claw marks on her, but there's none." Squall debated wether to tell the group about what Quistis had said in the infirmary.

_'Na, it was just the morphine speaking. No need for them to know.'_

"Damn," Zell said, slumping across the couch. Seifer stared curiously at the blonde.

_'Something's wrong about him, but what?'_

"You've got that right. That leaves only Jewel. Quistis isn't stupid enough to just walk off a cliff like that."

"I guess we just have to wait until Quistis wakes up then, Rinoa said, staring out the window in boredom.

"How did you know that she fell? The ravine was quite well hidden. You had to be on top of it to see it," Selphie sniffled.

"Almasy actually. When I arrived at the scene, he stopped attacking Jewel, ran over to the cliff edge, and started to make a racket. I went over to grab him and there was Quistis."

Zell stared at the cat, who was nosing around Squall's computer.

"Wow."

"You know what Squall, I think there's more that meets the eye with that cat," Irvine drawled.

"What makes you say that?"

"Well, just things. The way he sometimes acts, it seems too human like. What I find most curious though is how he has been acting since you met Jewel. Such as how he went berserk at Jewel when you were organising her training, despite looking close to death a few minutes before. He stole the biscuits that Jewel gave Zell and threw them out the window, and before you say it Selphie, it was no accident. That cat deliberately dropped those biscuits. Did you realise that he follows you into the training centre whenever you have training with Jewel? Very strange if you ask me."

"It seems that a lot of things have been going weird since this Jewel came along," Zell said tiredly. Selphie looked over towards Zell, concern written across her face.

"You ok there Zell?"

"Yeah, just feeling a bit run down at the moment."

"Hey Squall, have you been teaching your mongrel some tricks?" Rinoa suddenly piped up, pointing towards the cat.

_'Ok, if I remember rightly, this key is U, and this one is L...'_

The gang watched in amazement as Almasy pressed key after key in a slow, meticulous process.

_'Damn, it would so much easier if I could read the stupid buttons. Who's the bloody idiot who thought that grey letters on black keys was the way to go?'_

"Ah Squall, take a look at the screen," Selphie said slowly.

_ultimecia is jewel would u drop the mongrel stuf its pising me offf_

Squall stared at the cat, eyes widening.

"It wasn't just some rambling," Squall muttered in disbelief.

_'Oh hyne oh man, that's Seifer I've been looking after all the time... fuck!'_

Without another word, Squall took off, leaving the group in a daze as they stared at the screen.

Seifer jumped off that table and ran after the brunette.

_'Squall!'_

------------------------ --------------------------------- ---------------------------------------------

Squall leaned on the railing in the secret room.

'_Oh hyne, the cat was Seifer, it has to be. My rival, my...friend. All the things I said... he heard everything._' Squall blushed.

"Meow."

Squall looked down to see the cat standing at his feet.

_'No, not cat. Seifer.'_

"Is that you Seifer?"

The cat before him gave a very human like nod.

"Oh hyne..."

Squall slid down onto the floor, placing his head into his hands. Seifer walked over tentatively and nuzzled against Squall.

_'Its ok Squall. Right now we have a sorceress to worry about.'_

"How?"

"I did it to him, though if I had realised how annoying he was going to be I would of killed him instead," a cold voice rang out. Seifer hissed at the advancing figure.

Squall stared up at Jewel.

"You're Ultimecia..." his face darkened. "Change him back!"

"Sorry, no can do Leonhart," Ultimecia said, smiling down at the brunette.

"I've managed to gather much energy from your friend. I must admit, I was planning to wait a while until I had gathered more energy up, but a certain _someone's_ interfering has caused me to speed things up."

_'Zell!" The 3 SeeDs stared at the unconscious blonde.  
"Zell, wake up!"_

Ultimecia let out a harsh laugh. "I suppose you're wondering how I survived, worthless knight. It was just as surprising to me as it is to you. I was sure that I would of used the last of my powers on you, but I managed to save a tiny amount. As you know, a sorceress can not move on to the afterlife until her powers have been completely passed on. My body died, but I didn't. I drifted through time and space, a bodiless soul until I came across Jewel. Such a sweet girl, though her powers are weak. I took control of her, and eventually became her. Now I've come to finish you off. I will have this world as my own!"

_'No!'_

Seifer leapt towards the sorceress.

"Not this time kitty."

Seifer buckled in mid air as a wave of power flowed through him, sending him flying into the wall, landing in a heap. Squall stared at the lifeless form.

_'No!'_

"NO!"

Jumping to his feet, Squall grabbed the limp Seifer and dodged Ultimecia attack, knocking her to the ground. Squall continued past, helpless without his gunblade. Ultimecia laughed at the retreating commander.

"Run little SeeD, while you still can!"

Spotting Selphie, Irvine and Rinoa entering the training centre, Squall ran over to them.

"Quick! This way!"

Tensing up, the SeeDs leapt into action, but by the time they arrived at the secret room, it was too late – Ultimecia was gone.

* * *

AN: I'm not too sure how this chapter turned out. I just don't like the way I wrote it, but the changed version was worse :-(. Before anyone comments on the spelling in Seifer's message, it's meant to be like that. Remember to read and review. 


	8. Chapter 7

Disclaimer: Square Enix, not mine.

Warnings: Contains shonen ai Seifer/Squall, some swearing. Rating looks to be going up to an R, but really depends on if anyone rejects to it.

* * *

Chapter 7

"You have got to be kidding me. Seifer?"

_'Eh... Ow.'_

"Look guys, he's moving! Yippee! He's not dead!"

Seifer opened up one eye slowly, followed by the other. Focusing on the blurs, Seifer was confronted with the sight of three concerned SeeDs.

_'Ow. Remind me not to do anymore suicidal jumps at sorceresses.'_

"Hey Seifer, how you feeling?" Selphie asked, leaning on her hands and staring down at the cat in front of her.

'_Eh, she knows? Squall must of said something._'

"Meow."

"You sure that's Seifer?" Zell repeated from the couch where he laid, recovering from his abrupt energy drain.

"Yes."

"Damn. And all this time you've..."

Squall stared at the laughing blonde.

"And all this time I did what?"

"Why, baby him of course. He must have been living the life of luxury."

Squall glared.

"Not funny Zell, and I didn't baby him."

Irvine stepped between the glaring brunette and laughing blonde.

"So let me get this straight. Squall's kitty over there is really Seifer under a spell from Ultimecia, who is running around in the body of some young sorceress she has taken control of, planning her revenge? This is not good," Irvine said, shaking his head. Seifer looked around at the five serious faces around him, looking lastly at Squalls.

'_Squall...'_

Seifer tried rising, only to fall back down as pain enveloped his body.

"Meow"

_'OWWW'_

"Don't move Seifer!" Four voices said simultaneously.

"Careful there Seifer. You took a pretty nasty blow back there. Your ribs seem to be broken so it's going to be painful to move for a while," Squall explained.

'_Now you tell me. Where's the morphine huh?'_

Selphie scratched Seifer behind the ear distractedly.

"What are we going to do about Seifer here? Rinoa doesn't have the skills to change him back."

"I wouldn't change him back, even if I could."

Squall glared at the girl.

"Why not."

"Because he's a loser and a traitor, that's why. He deserves what he got."

"That's not nice Rinoa," Selphie piped up. "From what matron said, he was being mind controlled as well, so he didn't mean to throw you to Adel."

'_I didn't?'_

"It doesn't matter what you want Rinoa. Edea's on her way, and would be more than happy to change him back. For now, we must concentrate on Ultimecia," Squall said firmly.

"Ultimecia? You mean we have to fight her again? I can't do that!"

Everyone turned to face Rinoa.

"And Why Not?" Squall said coldly.

"I don't want to end up as her puppet again. Besides, I'm not really a SeeD, so it's not like I have to go, so I think I'll pass."

"Then pack your bags and be gone by tonight. There's no room in Garden for attitudes like that, especially from another sorceress. If you change your mind, then meet up with us tomorrow morning at 6am in my office. If not, then I don't want to see you, ever. You all have your orders. Dismissed."

---------------------- -------------------------- ---------------------- -------------------------------

"Hows the kitty?"

"Good thank you Dr Kadowaski. Hows Quistis?"

Dr K smiled.

"She's been awake for the last ½ hr. You may go in and speck to her if you like, but keep it short."

"Will do."

Squall knocked on the door, leaning into the room.

"Hey Quistis, its me."

Quistis looked up at the brunette.

"Hey Squall."

Squall smiled as he walked over and sat in the chair next to the bed. The two sat in silence.

"So, when did you realise?"

"I heard Jewel, or Ultimecia, screaming at her 'worthless knight' and everything just feel into place. How is he? Dr K was telling me about a distort Squall bringing in a near dead cat last night. What happened?"

"Ultimecia attacked last night. Seifer was injured when he blocked an attack meant for me. He's doing ok now, thanks to the remedies Dr K gave me, but he has several broken bones, and is in a lot of pain. Edea's on her way so soon we'll see if she can change him back, and if Edea is able to track down Ultimecia."

"What about Rinoa?"

Squall frowned as he lent back.

"She's gone. She didn't like the idea of fighting Ultimecia again, so I told her to pack up and leave. I just can't believe that I didn't see how selfish she was."

"Don't worry Squall, everything will all turn out for the best."

"Really?"

"Yes, really."

Squall stood up to take his leave, glancing at the blonde who had started giggling.

"What's so funny?"

"Just thinking of what it's going to be like having Seifer back, especially with the way you babied him."

"I did _not_ baby him," Squall replied, blushing as he looked away in a huff.

"Did to, and don't deny it," Quistis replied, smiling.

"I have to head off now Quistis, but I'll come by later when Edea arrives."

"Sure thing Squall."

------------------------------ --------------------------------------- ---------------------------------

Squall walked towards the front gate, giving the waiting figure a small smile.

"Welcome matron. Would you like to go see Quistis now or after you settle in?"

Edea smiled at the young man in front of her.

"I'll go and see Quistis now if its no trouble."

"Of course not, or I wouldn't of offered."

Squall picked up the suitcase next to his adopted mum and the two slowly made their way through Garden.

"So how have you been Matron?"

"Good. The orphanage is looking better now; soon I will be able to take some children in. I miss having young children running around my feet, though I hope that I don't get any that causes as much mischief as you and Seifer did," Edea teased. "By the way, have you got any information on Seifer? He hasn't been seen since the war ended, and I'm worried about him."

Squall smirked.

"Ah yeah, but you have to see it to believe it."

Edea glanced at Squall, but could see that he wasn't going to elaborate.

"Sounds interesting."

------------------------ -------------------------- ------------------------ ---------------------------

"Meow!"

'_Hi Edea! Going to change me back?_'

Edea held up the cat in her arms, staring in shock.

"Why I never..."

Seifer frowned inwardly as the older lady burst out laughing.

'_Laugh at me huh?'_

"And you were looking after him, without realising Squall?"

Squall nodded.

"Well, weren't you a lucky thing Seifer. From the sounds of it, Squall had you living like a king."

Squall just shook his head, giving up on denying the charge. Still laughing, Edea stood up and placed Seifer onto the floor.

"I'm so glad you're ok Seifer. Now lets try and get you back to your normal handsome self ok?"

'_Tsh fine.'_

Squall closed his eyes as Edea began to chant.

_'Please work, please work.'_

"Yo, puberty boy. You can open your eyes now."

Squall felt a firm hand attach to his wrist as he opened his eyes to see Seifer standing above him, familiar smirk in place and not a bit of fur in sight.

"Seifer!"

"The one and only."

Squall surprised both himself and Seifer as he leapt up and threw his arms around Seifer's neck.

"I'm glad your ok," Squall mumbled into Seifer's neck. Seifer wrapped his arms around Squall, returning the hug.

"Its ok now Squall."

Edea cleared her throat, causing both boys to look towards her.

"I'm feeling a bit worn out from that so I'm going to rest up. Later we'll all get together and discuss what to do about Ultimecia."

Seifer freed himself from Squall's grasp and walked over to Edea.

"Thank you."

"Your welcome Seifer. Enjoy yourselves now," and with that, she exited the office, leaving the two men alone.

Seifer turned toward Squall.

"So, what happens now?"

"Enrol you back into Garden I guess, that is, if you want to..." Squall replied, blushing as he refused to meet Seifer's gaze. The older blonde smirked.

"And why is our dear commander blushing, if I may ask?" he said as he walked over to stand in front of Squall.

"Well, ah, um ... you know. For the last few months you were my _cat_, and well..." Squall stuttered.

Seifer let out a small chuckle.

"Don't worry Squall, your secrets are safe with me. It wasn't that bad of an experience living with you, except for maybe the cat food and Rinoa/Selphie incidents..."

Squall smirked at the ground.

"What exactly did they try to do? I never found that out."

"Never you mind," Seifer said quickly.

Squall smirked and raised his head, meeting Seifer's gaze.

"It couldn't of been that..." Squall's eyes widened as Seifer lent in and placed a soft kiss onto his lips, pulling away quickly.

"I've been wanting to do that for a while now," Seifer smirked as he looked down at the dazed brunette. "Now lets go see the others," he said as he left the office, leaving a dazed Squall staring after him, fingers touching the lips that Seifer had just kissed moment before.

"Seifer..."

------------------------- ---------------------------- ---------------------------------------------

AN: Sorry about the length of the chapter, but I haven't had much time to write, due to assignments and study for upcoming exams. Seifer wasn't meant to have been changed back in this chapter, nor was Rinoa meant to leave just yet, but somehow it just ended up that way. Hopefully it doesn't seem too rushed. Remember to read and review. Due to accounts being deleted because of answering reviews, I will only be answering if someone asked a question, or to elaborate on something. Gomen.


	9. Chapter 8

Disclaimer: I do not own Squall or Seifer.

Chapter 8

Despite what he had told Squall, Seifer did not head to where the others were waiting. Instead, he walked straight past the door, slipping away to the training centre. Resting against the railing in the secret area, Seifer gazed upon Balamb Plains as he ran a hand through his hair.

'_Why the hell did I just kiss Squall for?_' He smiled at the memory of Squall's soft but firm lips pressed gently against his. Spinning around, Seifer lent his back against the railing, arms crossed in front of him as he stared at the ground, a small frown upon his lips. It was in this position that Squall found Seifer in, causing his breath to hitch as he stared at the blonde from the shadows of the door way. Taking a deep breath, Squall stepped forward.

'_Why did he just kiss me? Was it like he said, or just because he could?'_

Squall frowned as he stalked his way through the training centre, knowing exactly where he would find the blonde man. Quietly opening the door to the secret area Squall was greeted to the sight of a brooding Seifer, arms folded across his broad chest and a small frown ghosting across his lips. Squall smiled slightly at the sight.

'I wonder if he knows how cute he looks… um, er…'

Squall shock his head slightly as he steped forward.

"Seifer."

Seifer raised his head to see Squall standing just a few steps away from him. His breath caught in his throat as he stared at young man who had managed to turn his emotions upside down.

"Squall."

Squall walked other and stood next to Seifer, leaning out to face the open plains of Balamb.. The two stood in silence as the both tried to gather their thoughts.

"How are you feeling Seifer?"

Seifer glared at the ground..

"Confused and disorientated," he finally admitted, still staring down at the ground. "It feels strange to be back in my own body again after spending the last 6 months as your cat."

Squall smiled faintly at Seifer choice of words.

'_Seifer… mine… why does that thought please me so much?'_

"Was it strange, being a cat?" Squall blurted out, not liking where his thoughts were taking him. Seifer snorted and finally looked up at Squall, smiling slightly.

"Of course it was, but it did have a few advantages." Seifer smirked as Squall's hand reached unconsciously up to where Seifer had clawed him, back in Balamb Forest. Squall sighed.

"Its not going to be easy for you. Ultimecia probably did you a favour turning you into a cat – if you had walked out of Time Compression as a person you would of probably ended up in prison, or worse. It seems to of calmed down now, but your reappearance will stir thing up a bit. It shouldn't be too bad since Balamb Garden will be backing you, but I wouldn't expect a warm welcome, even here."

Seifer sighed.

"I realised that."

"So why are you out here and not catching up with the rest of the gang?"

Seifer shrugged.

"I guess I'm… afraid. I did terrible things during the war, things I had no control over. It wasn't as though they liked me before either. Would I really be welcomed back?"

Squall sighed and turned around to face the training centre.

"I can't speck for any of the others but I know that … that I'm glad you're back," Squall finished softly; eyes downcast as a soft blush crept across his face. Seifer smiled at the sight, pushing down the temptation to brush back the soft brown hair that fell around Squalls face and kiss that blush away.

"Thank you Squall."

Squall gave Seifer one of his rare smiles. Straightening up, Squall dusted his jacket down as he composed himself.

"Come. You have to stay at my place until I get a room sorted for you. The others can wait till tomorrow to meet up with you."

Seifer smiled inwardly as Squall replaced his mask of cold indifference and beckoned for the blonde to follow him.

_'I'm not too sure where these feelings will take us, but at least I know that I will have a friend in you.'_

_

* * *

_

"So he's back. Great." Zell kicked the grey couch one last time, flopping down across it. Irvine glanced across from his seat in the armchair across from Zell.

"You done kicking my furniture?"

Zell smirked as he began tapping the arm of the couch with his right foot, earning an exasperated sigh from the aurban haired man.

"That's the last time I invite you around."

"Who's back? You mean Seifer?" Selphie bounced into the room, a large bag of potato chips in one hand and a can of coke in the other. Knocking Zell's feet off the couch, she curled up and placed to open bag on the table in front of her.

"Squall certainly seems happy to have him back,"

Zell snorted as he turned to face the perky brunette.

"Hyne knows why. It wasn't as though they were friends. Seifer was a complete arsehole to us all back in Garden, and then he joined up with the sorceress and tried to kill us all on numerous occasions. Great reasons to welcome him back I'm sure."

"I don't think he was that bad Zell. He seemed friendly enough with Squall. I would of called them more training buddies than rivals, or, at least that what it seemed to me," Selphie interjected.

"Huh. Goes to show how well you know him. Seifer has no loyalties expect to himself. The moment it looks like we're going to lose, he'll be back grovelling to the witch, and then we'll see how happy Squall is with him then."

"I don't know Zell," Irvine drawled as he grabbed a handful of chips. "I certainly don't trust him, nor do I think that I'll like him judging from the stories I've heard, but he doesn't seem interested in joining back up with Ultimecia. I mean, he's been tripping her up every time she's moved. And he did save you from those cookies she gave you. Who knows what she might of done to them."

Zell scowled at the grinning cowboy.

"One good deed doesn't erase all the bad ones."

"In any case, Squall seems to think that he's ok and he's a pretty good judge of character so I'm not going to make any waves as long as Seifer leaves me alone."

"Huh. Its not like we get any choice in the matter," Zell spat out distastefully.

"Oh really you boys. You haven't spoken to him and you're already judging him. Just because he wasn't the nicest person around before doesn't mean he'd be like that now. War changes people, no matter what side they're on, and I doubt that it would have been a pleasant experience for him to work under her. We don't even know if he went willing or if he was controlled like Edea and Rinoa. You don't have to be his best friends, just give him a chance at least," Selphie retorted, glaring at the two men until they nodded mutely. Satisfied with their answer, Selphie smiled and continued to much away on her chips.

"Good then. Anyone heard from Rinoa?"

"Yeah, she's staying at Balamb Hotel at the moment. Was it just me, or was Squall a little harsh on her?" Zell asked, grabbing a random magazine from the coffee table and skimming through the pages.

"I guess he was a bit. Sure, she did sound bit selfish back there, but I can see her point of view though. None of us had been controlled by Ultimecia and we don't know what it would have been like, so we can't go judging her I guess," Selphie replied.

"It seemed to me as though it was just an excuse to get rid of her," Irvine said thoughtfully.

"Really? Why would he want to do that? She's hot, young and all over him. He's the luckiest guy in Garden," Zell replied, grabbing a chip from Selphie's hand and smiled innocently at the pouting brunette.

"Squall doesn't seem like that type of guy who'd go for someone based on the merits of their looks. He'd want someone who'd match him on the intellectual level, and Rinoa's too much of an airhead. Squall probably got bored with her. Poor Squall, all alone again."

Irvine grinned at the moping girl.

"Wow Selphie, you're certainly being deep today. Who would of thought that such a ray of sunshine could see into the very heart of our dear ice prince," he mocked, earning himself a glare and a cushion in his face.

"Don't worry about Squall. He has us remember, and him and Quisty have seemed very close lately," Zell said knowingly.

"Ahhh." All three nodded in unison.Selphie smirked over her can.

"I guess you know what that mean boys."

Both men sighed as they accepted their fate.

* * *

AN/ An update! Sorry it took so long. What with exams and broken computers that just didn't like to stay fix (and the time it took just to get fixed was unbelievable) it took me a while to finally sit down and type it all out. I'ld like to say that i'll be updating every week to make up for it, but the motherboard's playing up again so i'm going to have to send it back down to get it repaired (again), but i'll have to wait of few weeks until the semester finishes so i'll have a couple more chapters up by then. Sorry for the long wait and the shortness of the chapter. It just didn't seem to want to work for me. Also, if anyone would like to be a beta reader, it would be a great help. Read and review! 


	10. Chapter 9

Disclaimer: I do not own Squall, Seifer, or the rest of the characters mentioned in this fic.

Warnings: Shonen Ai and a bit of swearing.

**Chapter 9**

Squall smiled at the sight of Seifer curled up on the floor beside the couch.

_'It seems that its going to take him sometime before he loses some of the habits he picked up as a cat. Oh well, as long as he doesn't keep scratching up the couch it shouldn't be too bad…'_

Squall walked over to the sleeping blonde, pausing to gaze at the young man.

'_He hasn't changed much. His hair's longer and his eyes sadder, but he's still the same Seifer that I knew. I'm glad he hasn't changed_.'

Squall gently nudged him with his foot.

"Hey Seifer, time to get up. The meeting starts in 1 hour. Move it if you want to shower and have breakfast."

Squall smirked as Seifer sleepily battered Squall's foot.

"Leave me 'lone…"

Squall smiled down at the blonde.

"Would you move faster if I banged the cat bowl a bit?"

Seifer opened one eye and glared at the laughing brunette.

"Very funny Squall. I'm up. What's there to eat?" Seifer said, uncurling and stretching languidly, causing Squall to cover a rising laugh with his hand.

"Had a good sleep?"

Seifer smiled sheepishly.

"Your couch is too small for me to curl up on so I um, moved."

Squall just shook his head.

"It's to be expected. Do you want to shower first?"

"Yep," Seifer jumped up from his position on the ground, happy at the thought of finally being able to clean himself using something else other than his tongue. Squall pointed towards the cupboard next to the bathroom door.

"Towels are in there. There's a spare toothbrush under the sink. Don't be too long."

Seifer nodded mutely as he grabbed a dark blue towel from the cupboard and entered the bathroom, locking the door behind him.

'_Finally, a way to clean myself without getting fur balls.'_

Stripping off his ragged clothes and tossing them into the laundry hamper, Seifer reached in and turned the shower on, jumping back as the water suddenly sprayed out. Seifer stared in horror at the gushing water, the fine hairs on the back of his rising in alarm.

'_It's ok, its only water. Its not like it's going to hurt me or anything. Just a nice shower…'_ Seifer edged slowly towards the shower, closing his eyes tight as he shoved his arm into the spray, resisting the urge to run away as fast as he could.

'_Ah come on. Its just water. What would Squall think if he saw the might Seifer Almasy quivering at the sight of water? I'll never live it down.'_ Deciding then and there that Squall would never hear a word about this new phobia, Seifer jumped in under the shower and quickly washed himself, turning the water off before the last soapsud could travel down his leg.

Stepping out of the shower, Seifer shook himself, grabbing the towel and wrapping it around his waist.

_'See, that wasn't so bad.'_

Seifer glanced towards the shower.

_'Well, I'm done...'_

Seifer raced over to the door, flinging it open and crashing into an unsuspecting Squall, sending them flying to the floor. Squall blushed in embarrassment as he realised that he was pinned down by a very naked Seifer, with only a towel covering him.

"Um, ah… Seifer…"

Squall squirmed as he tried unsuccessfully to remove Seifer from on top of him. Seifer looked down and smirked slightly at the sight of a flustered Squall trapped beneath him.

"Ah, um, Seifer. Do you think that you could like Get Off Me?"

Seifer smiled as he folded his arms across Squalls chest and rested his chin on his hands.

"It will cost you."

Squall's eyes widened slightly as a pink tinge crept across his cheeks, highlighting his bluish grey eyes.

"W…what do you mean by that?"

Seifer shifted up slightly until he was nose to nose with Squall, blonde hair glinting gold in the sunlight that peeked through the curtains.

"A kiss. A real kiss this time."

"What? But we're guys…"

Seifer flicked his tongue out quickly over Squall's lips, causing the blushing brunette to stop mid sentence.

"Just a kiss."

Squall closed his eyes and nodded his head slightly, eyes flicking open as Seifer gently placed his lips upon Squalls, massaging them gently with his. Squall's eyes fluttered shut again as he shyly responded to Seifer's administrations, moaning softly as he trailed a hand down Seifer's back. Feeling Squall's resistance melting away, Seifer flicked his tongue across Squall's lips, earning another soft moan from Squall as he parted his lips. Slipping his tongue in, Seifer gently coaxed Squall into a slow dance as they took in the tastes of the other, hands sliding along bodies as they lost themselves in the kiss. After what seemed to be an eternity, Seifer reluctantly pulled back, gazing at the blushing man beneath him, full lips swollen from the kiss they had shared.

Squall stared up at the blonde man above him, taking in the glazed green eyes, his swollen lips and the way the sunlight lit his blonde hair, trying to capture the image that was Seifer. The two stared at the other, both unwilling to ruin the moment, but knowing that they will have to. Finally Seifer shifted and the reality of what had just happened crashed down on Squall as he felt the hardness pressed against his thigh and his own reaction. Squall bolted up, knocking Seifer to the floor.

"Ah, um… Ihavetogetreadyforthemeeting," Squall muttered as he rushed into his bedroom, slamming the door behind him in panic. Seifer sighed as he ran a hand through his hair, picking himself up off the floor where he had been unceremoniously dumped.

'_Well, that could have gone better,_' Seifer smiled as he reached down and picked up the clean clothes that Squall was bringing him. _'But who would of picked Squall to be a moaner?'_ Seifer smirked.

* * *

"Right. Lets get started." 

Squall turned to face the occupants of the office, cold mask firmly set in place as his eyes skimmed across the group gathered before him. On the black couch sat Selphie, Irvine and Zell, laughing as Zell tried to bet Irvine in a thumb fight, failing each round. On his left, Quistis sat primly on the matching armchair, while Edea relaxed back calming in the second arm chair an the other side couch, smiling at the antics of the trio on the couch. Seifer stood apart from the rest of the group, looking to Squall as though he was ready to bolt through the door next to him, though the others would just see a very bored Seifer. Squall's eyes unconsciously roamed across Seifer's form, reverting his gaze as Seifer glanced his way, smirking slightly. Squall blushed slightly, turning to the others as he tried to restore order to the meeting.

"Settle down. Quiet everyone. QUIET!"

Everyone froze at Squall's out burst as he calmly picked up the files sitting on his desk and handed them around the group.

"These contain all the information we have gathered so far on the incidents concerning Ultimecia. Read through them carefully and add anything that was forgotten or maybe of help." Squall's breath hitched slightly as his hand brushed against Seifer's as he handed him a folder. Turning quickly, Squall returned to his desk and allowed the others the time to go through the material. Squall glanced slightly in Seifer's direction, noting how the older man chewed gently on his bottom lip as he read through the material. Shaking his head mentally, Squall gazed down at his bare hands, gloves forgotten in his rush to get out of the small dorm and Seifer's presence.

_'Fool! Pull yourself together. It was just a kiss. Seifer was just revving you up, like how he use to back before. It meant nothing to him and it means nothing to me.'_

"There's not much information to go on here Squall."

Squall was pulled out of his thoughts abruptly as Edea finally broke the silence. Leaning back in his chair, Squall dropped the unopened file in front of him onto his desk.

"I know. This is where you come in. If you're able to help us locate her it would be greatly appreciated."

"I don't think she'll be too far from here," Seifer's voice cut across the room, the first words he had spoken since leaving the dorm.

"And how would _you_ know this?" Zell asked, glaring at the blonde until Selphie nudged him sharply.

"Because her target is Leonhart and yourselves. She'll want to be able to observe you before mounting her next attack. She underestimated you last time, don't think that she'll make the same mistake again."

Edea nodded in agreement.

"Judging by the sound of it, she'll want to gather herself some more power – the energy gathered from Zell would of aided her escape, but she will need more power if she wants to launch another attack."

"Where would she get this power from?" Quistis asked.

"If she could take control of a more powerful sorceress and drain their power, that would be her best option. Otherwise she'll need to drain the energy of a large group of people, much in the same way that she did with Zell."

"Balamb maybe?"

"She'll need more than that."

Squall frowned.

"This is getting us nowhere. She could be anywhere."

Everyone sat in silence.

"What about Rinoa!" Selphie squealed, jumping up from her seat. "After all, she is a sorceress, and a powerful one at that. And I don't think she liked it when Rinoa took her powers either."

"That would make her a target wouldn't it? Lots of power and unsuspecting," Irvine added.

Squall sighed. "It's the only led we have. Where is she residing?"

"Balamb Hotel."

"Right, have her escorted back to Balamb Garden immediately. We can not let Ultimecia have her."

"I volunteer to lead the team," Zell said, bounding out of his seat and raising his fist in excitement.

"Might as well gift wrap her, ribbon and all."

Zell turned angrily towards the blonde.

"Just like what happened to you? Oh I forgot, you gift wrapped your own self, complete with a doggie collar lapdog, or should I say, lap_cat."_

Seifer stepped forward.

"You better watch what you say chicken wuss."

"Make me traitor. You're nothing but a worthless throwback that knows nothing of the word 'loyalty'. You think that you're so fucken good, strutting around like you own the place, but in the end you couldn't even save your own arse. You're lower than dirt, a mongrel that should have been put out of its misery the day that you were born. Why would anyone need a failure like you?"

A small gasp sounded from Edea.

"You make me laugh lapdog."

Seifer bared his teeth as he closed in on Zell.

"Why you little fucken…"

"Hey, calm down Seifer," Irvine reached out and grabbed Seifer's arm.

"HISSS"

Irvine jumped back in alarm as Seifer stepped back, a slight blush creeping across his face. The room went silent except for Zell's cold laugh.

"Hah! Get yourself a ball of twine and keep your business out of _human_ affairs kitty cat. We don't need a nobody like you who has to lick himself to keep clean."

"THAT IS ENOUGH!"

Squall's cold voice echoed through the room as he stood up quickly, causing his chair to slam into the bookcase behind him.

"This meeting is over! Zell, you are confined to your room until I see fit to speak to you. Irvine will see to the retrieval of Rinoa. Selphie will organise her rooms. Seifer, return to my rooms immediately," Squall hissed through clenched teeth. "You are dismissed."

Everyone filed out silently until the only people left was Squall, Seifer and Edea. Squall closed his eyes and took a calming breath.

"I'm sorry you had to witness that Matron."

"It's ok Squall. Do you mind if I accompany Seifer back to your rooms?"

Squall glanced across to Seifer, who was leaning against the wall, eyes wide and unseeing and all colour drained from his face.

"That would be wise."

Edea nodded and walked across to Seifer, gently placing her hand onto his shoulder. Seifer flinched from the contact as he was ripped from his thoughts, but allowed Edea to lead him away. Squall sat back down in his chair, sighing as he rested his head in his hands.

_'Fuck, what the hell is this place? A mercenary school or a bloody kindy garden? Damn Zell. Damn Seifer. Damn the whole lot of them.'_

Squall stood up and cracked his fingers, hoisting his gunblade over his shoulder before heading out to the training centre for some well needed stress relief.

_'Fucken Children, the whole lot of them._'

* * *

Another update! And within a week of the last one! I feel so proud of myself :p 

I'm not too sure if I like the way that the fight between Zell and Seifer went. I had it planned perfectly in my head, but when I finally found a pen and paper to write it down, I forgot.

I was trying to avoid using swear words, but some still slipped in, so sorry to those who are offended by that type of language. Remember to read and Review, helpful criticism always welcomed.


	11. Chapter 11

Disclaimer: I do not own FVIII. I just like putting Squall in embarrasing situations for Seifer to enjoy ;) This contains yaoi so if you don't like, then you wouldn't of gotten this far now would ya :)

* * *

Chapter 10

* * *

Zell paced the length of his room for the umpteenth time in the 2 hours that he had been confined to the dorms after his blow out with the ex-sorceress knight._'Where's the hell is Squall?'_

Sighing loudly to himself, Zell flopped backwards onto his bed, staring up at the plain white ceiling.

'_Man, this waiting is more painful than his lectures.'_

A soft click as the door knob turned informed him of Squall's arrival. Zell sat up, ready to vent his indigence about long waits and unfair punishments, but closed his mouth at the sight of Squall's cool gaze.

"Explain yourself."

Zell flinched at the cold tone of Squall's voice, hands clenching around the edge of his mattress.

_'Man, he's still pissed off about it? He never holds a grudge for this long. I must of really pissed him off this time.'_

"I'm sorry Squall, but Seifer just pushed me…"

"That is no excuse!" Squall cut off sharply. "You are a member of SeeD, not a child. You should be able to control yourself, no matter who is your opponent, team member or employer. You are expected to treat everyone with the same amount of respect and professionalism, no matter who they are or what side they are on. Not only was your outburst today unprofessional and childish, but it was a nasty attack on someone who did not deserve it."

Zell bristled at the last comment. "Doesn't deserve it! He deserves whatever he gets!"

Squall held a hand up, silencing Zell's outburst.

"Everyone makes mistakes, some bigger than others. Seifer has to live with his mistake for the rest of his life. It's going to be hard enough for him without having you throw it back into his face all the time."

"But Seifer said…"

"Seifer has always been that way," Squall cut in. "It did not warrant a personal attack like that. Not only was it childish and rude, but your antics disrupted the meeting, upset Edea and embarrassed us in front of a guest."

Zell hung his head in shame, staring at the Squall's black boots as Squall stood above him, arms behind his back as he let his words sink in.

"You are my friend and one of my best SeeD's, but I will not tolerate such behaviour from you, or anybody else. Is that understood?"

"Yeah Squall. I'll write a formal apology to Edea."

"And Seifer."

"… And Seifer," Zell mumbled dejectedly.

"You need to grow up and let go of this childish grudge you hold against Seifer. I do not want another repeat of this incident again. Your confinement has been lifted as of now."

Squall turned to leave.

"Why?"

Squall let go of the door handle and turned to gaze at Zell.

"Why what?"

"Why do you defend him? He has done so much, and has hurt so many people…" Zell trailed off, gazing back at Squall as he waited patiently for an answer.

"Because…"

_'Because I…'_

"I…"

_'Don't want…'_

"Believe…"

'_him to…'_

"That everyone…"

'_ever…'_

"Deserves a second chance."

'_leave me again.'_

Zell nodded in agreement.

"I guess even he deserves another chance, but let it be noted that I think that you're making a big mistake. He's already betrayed us once, you just can't ignore something like that Squall."

"Noted. Bye Zell."

"See ya."

Zell flopped back down onto his bed as Squall closed the door behind him silently.

_'At least he didn't turn me into an ice cube.'_

_

* * *

_

Squall walked slowly to his room, ignoring the giggling groups of students as they made their way to class.

_'Why? Why am I feeling like this? Why do I care for him?'_

Squall frowned, causing the passing group of first years to quieten as they walked past, afraid of angering the Commander of Balamb Garden.

_'He's only been human for barely a day and I can't seem to get him out of my mind. Do I really care for him in this way, or am I confusing it with something else? I can't deny the fact that I missed him when he left, are these feelings coming from the relief that he's back?'_

Squall touched his lips softly as he turned down the empty corridor to his dorm room.

_'But if that's the case, then why do I react to him like that with only a kiss? Why must I keep reliving that moment when his mouth pressed against mine? A simple kiss from him shouldn't be able to steal my breath away.'_

Squall shock his head angrily.

_"Why did he have to kiss me! I was doing fine before, until he made these strange emotions appear from nowhere, making it impossible to ignore them. Rinoa never made me feel like this, so why him? Is this the way that I was supposed to feel with Rinoa? Is this how one feels when… No, of course not. He's a man and I've never been interested in men before, so why do I keep on thinking about Seifer of all people? Why not Rinoa or Quistis?'_

Squall sighed as he keyed in the code to his dorm.

_'This is getting me nowhere. Its just… too much, too soon. So many strange emotions… I just can't deal with this right now, not with a sorceress on the loose. Why did he have to do this to me?'_

"You're back Squall. How did you go with Zell?"

Squall smiled distractedly at the older women sitting at the dinning room table, cup firmly held between her hands. Squall glanced around the room, turning his attention to Edea.

"How is he?"

Edea nodded towards the bedroom door.

"I'm not too sure really, he hasn't said a word since leaving your office. He's sleeping in your bed at the moment."

"I didn't expect him to react like that."

Edea smiled as she took a sip from her cup.

"Even as child he had the tendency to shut himself away like that when things got too much. He didn't do it often and it never lasted long, but it always distressed me to see him hurting like that and not being able to help him."

Squall nodded as he walked into the kitchen.

"Would you like another tea Matron?"

"No Thank You Squall, Edea called towards the kitchen as she placed her empty cup on the table and pushed the chair in.

"I promised Selphie that I would join her for lunch today."

Squall nodded silently as he walked her to the door.

"Thank you Matron."

Edea smiled as she placed a hand on his cheek.

"Don't worry Squall, everything will work out for the best in the end. Just give yourself some time – you'll work it out." Edea closed the door behind her, smiling at the confused look on Squall's face.

_'Poor child, he just doesn't know what to make of these feelings he's having, though it should be obvious enough to him. I wonder how long it will take for him the work it out? I wonder how long Seifer will give him before forcing him to figure it out?'_

Edea grinned at the thought as she walked away.

* * *

Squall pondered on the cryptic good bye as he walked across to his bedroom.

_'I better make sure he's not dead or anything like that.'_

Slowly opening and closing the door, Squall crept across the darkened room and gazed down on the sleeping blonde. Squall smiled softly as he brushed a stray golden strand from the man's face, resting his fingertips on the side of Seifer's face.

_'He's so perfect, capable of getting any girl he wants, bad reputation and all, so why would he like someone like me? We are so different, my ice to his fire, so why do I feel so drawn to him?'_

Squall slid onto the bed gently, trying not to disturb the blonde as he wrapped his arm around the older man, snuggling in close.

_'What has he done to me?_'

* * *

Another chapter done! This one is a bit short, but i felt that this was the best place to end it. I'm glad but also unhappy with the way i captured Squall's thoughts. Some of it pleases me, but others just seem a bit off. Remember to read and review :)  



	12. Chapter 12

Disclaimer: If I owned FFVIII, do you really think the Squall would of ended up with Rinoa?

Look, an update a day after the the last one! -fans fainted readers-  
This was originally part of the last chapter, but i ended up splitting it up as it didn't seem to flow just right with only a paragraph break between it.

**Rinny Leonheart: **Its a long story really but basicly the computer kept on breaking until i brought myself a new motherbaord, and then i packed my journals away when i was packing up my room. So sorry for the long wait, i'll be much quicker this time.

**Yonaka Niji : **Ohhh lemons, good for the soul (and for SxS too ;) ). I may write a lemon, but i might put it as a side story, incase readers might not like that sort of things. It really depends on how many people are comfortable with that.

**Cloti: **Usually Zell is just hot air, but he and Seifer didn't have a very good history to begin with, and i can see the resentment from the war just building up, and when Seifer insulted him... he just let it all out.

I know that there are other review that i haven't responded to, but i'm sticking to just answering questions/clearing things up as fan fiction . net has a reputation of deleting stories with long review answers. Speaking of reviews... 111 reviews! Thank you so much! I never expected that many reviews :)

* * *

Chapter 11

* * *

"Right, the mission is simple; retrieve the target Rinoa Heartily from Balamb Hotel and escort her safely to Balamb Garden." 

Irvine sighed as silently as he looked over his team.

_'You'd think they would of given me some more experienced SeeD's than all these students. Oh well, its only a ten minute job – its not like anything's going to happen.'_

"Any questions?"

The cute young girl with the long brown hair on his right slowly raised her hand. Irvine smiled charmingly, "Yes Eva? And we don't need to raise our hands – we're not in the classroom anymore."

"Yes sir, um, what do we do if the sorceress shows up?"

"Our main goal is to escort Miss Heartily to Balamb Garden. If the sorceress attacks, we're to hold her off until Miss heartily is removed from danger, and then we are to retreat." Irvine looked at the pale faces as the young recruits played nervously with their weapons.

"But there's no need to worry about that. I'm here with you, and besides, I'd doubt that she would go for Rinoa while we're there, not in her weakened state. It's all cool." Irvine finished his prep talk with his trademark smile, brightening the faces of the team members.

_'Ohhh yeah, the Kinneas charm works every time. Damn I'm just too good.'_

"Right people, let's move out"

Irvine motioned the team into the armoured van, grinning back at Balamb Garden before entering the vehicle.

_'Now lets go rescue our single damsel in distress, who's bound to give her dashing hero a kiss or two… ahh, somebody up there must love me'_

_

* * *

_

'_Man, somebody up there must hate me.'_

Irvine stared at the smouldering mess that use to be Balamb Hotel. On the way to Balamb, the team had received word that there was trouble in the small town, but on arrival all they could do was toast a few marshmallows over the smouldering remains. Irvine ran his hand through his hair as he pressed uselessly at the power button on his mobile. Tossing it aside, Irvine replaced his cowboy hat back on his head and leant against the brick wall.

_'At least she didn't destroy the rest of the town. Damn Squall's so going to kill me, especially in the mood he's been in.'_

"Right," Irvine clapped his hands together as he surveyed his team. "I have to go and find a payphone so that I can contact the Commander and let him know what's happened. Meanwhile, I want a perimeter set up around the town, and two volunteers to supervise the extinguishing of the fire and the removal of any remains. I want to know if there are any remains there that may belong to Miss Heartily. Move out."

Irvine sighed dejected as he walked over to the only payphone in Balamb, rummaging through his pockets to find the necessary coinage.

_'And now I have to pay to hear my ear bashing. Man, somebody up there really hates me.'_

_

* * *

_

_Ring Ring_

Squall opened his eyes slowly.

_Ring Ring _

_'Eh what? The phone?' _

_Ring Ring_

"All right, I'm coming damn it."

"I think you have to pick it up before you speak to it Squall."

Squall tried to glare at the blonde man, who smirked at the failed attempt.

"You're just too cute when you're too sleepy to glare."

Squall pushed at the older man's shoulder as he tried to sit up, ignoring the soft laughter that arose from Seifer.

"Shut up and remove yourself from me so I can answer the damn thing."

Seifer levered himself from his current position from on top of Squall, rolling onto his side as Squall sat up and grabbed the phone from his bedside table.

"What!"

"Um… Squall, it's Irvine here."

Squall eyed the number on the caller ID display.

"That's not your number."

"Ah, well, that's because my mobile's flat so I'm calling form a payphone in Balamb."

"Balamb?"

Squall glanced at the clock next to the phone.

_'It's 3 o'clock already? I've slept most of the day away. What a minute…'_

"What are you still doing in Balamb? You were meant to be back hours ago."

"Well, you see Squall…"

* * *

Squall sighed as he massaged a temple with his free hand, feeling his headache growing stronger with each passing sentence. 

"And Rinoa has not been identified?"

"We'll need to have the labs to do a more thorough test but from the looks of things, the three poor souls caught in the blaze were too large to be Rinoa so it would be safe to assume that Rinoa is now in the custody of Ultemecia."

Squall frowned.

"Very well, finish up there and make sure that every detailed is recorded and on my desk by tonight."

"Yes sir."

Irvine hung up the phone, grinning.

'_Well, that was unlike Squall. Not a reprimand in sight. Oh well, I'm not going to argue with that._'

* * *

Squall replaced the phone and sat cross-legged on the bed, pulling at the hem of his white shirt distractedly. _'Damn it'_

"What's the matter?"

Squall glanced at the blonde sprawled out across the bed, one arm draped across the pillow above his head, and the other snaking behind Squall, lightly rubbing along his leg as a small smirk appeared at the corner of Seifer's mouth.

"Stop it Seifer! Who said you could touch me like that!" Squall slapped the offending hand, causing Seifer to smirk as he rested his hand on the cover next to Squall.

"Well?"

Squall sighed and pulled one leg up, rest his chin on his knee.

"Ultemecia has Rinoa."

Seifer's face darkened.

"That's not good."

"No, it isn't."

Squall sighed again as he wrapped his arms around his leg tightly, chewing softly on his bottom lip as he frowned at the dark quilt.

"What am I suppose to do now?" Squall murmured softly.

_'Rinoa was our only lead, our link to Ultemecia. Now we have no idea where she's hiding and now she has one of the most powerful sorceress' in her hands. What do I do now?'_

"Fuck…"

Squall rubbed a hand through his messy locks, startling as a pair of hands snaked around his hips, pulling him roughly into a warm body behind him.

"Seifer!"

Caught up in his musings, Squall had failed to notice that Seifer had moved behind him until he had been pulled onto the blonde's lap. Seifer wrapped his arms tightly around Squall's waist as he pulled the young man closer, resting his chin on his shoulder.

"Relax Squall. There's no need to worry. We still have Edea; she should be able to help us out, and Rinoa may not be very bright, but she knows that she doesn't want to be in Ultemecia's hand, and that girl has the self-preservation instinct mastered. I'm sure she'll try to find a way to let us know where she is. We're not completely in the dark you know, so just relax for a moment."

Squall closed his eyes and relaxed back into the blonde, silently enjoying the strange, yet soothing comfort that Seifer offered.

"I guess you're right Seifer. We still have some time left before she'll make her move, and since she's gunning for us, she's bound to make an appearance soon, I just don't like this hide and go seek game she's playing with us."

"That's the whole point _saiai_. Don't let her get to you ok?"

"Fine."

The two men sat in silence; Squall dozing off in the warm hold, barely registering that was Seifer speaking again.

"What was that?"

Seifer smirked as Squall gazed up questioningly at him.

"How may I ask did I end up sprawled across your sleeping form at 3pm in the afternoon – not that I mind."

"I was tired. This is my bed."

Seifer chuckled deeply.

"Still a man of many words huh?"

"Hnn'

"Squall."

Squall opened his eyes at the serious tone.

"Yes?"

"I'm sorry for what happened during the meeting today. I shouldn't have provoked Zell like that."

"You're right, you shouldn't of, but he shouldn't of reacted like that either. What he said was malicious and spiteful. I'm sorry that I didn't step in sooner. It just caught me by surprise. I know that you and Zell never got on but I didn't expect him to say something like that."

Seifer shifted slightly, sighing as he hugged Squall tighter.

"But he's right you know. I am nothing but a worthless failure. You have no reason to trust me, and I'm surprised that you would accept me back without question, even after all the bad things that I had done."

Squall spun around to face Seifer, arms wrapped loosely around Seifer's neck as he brought himself to eye level with the blonde beneath him.

"That's enough of that Seifer – it doesn't suit you. Just because you've made some mistakes in your life doesn't make you a failure. It's what you do with the experience that determines that. If you do nothing, then that would be failing, but if you get back up on you feet and move forward with your life, then that is what really counts. Everyone deserves a second chance – you deserve a chance to make things right and move forward," Squall finished softly, leaning his head against Seifer's, eyes closed as he gave the blonde man a cautious hug.

"Squall, I…"

Squall started and pulled back, a light tinge spreading across his cheeks.

"I better go and make arrangements for the next meeting. We don't have much time and I want to strike her first, before she has a chance to gain anymore power," Squall muttered as he go up and strapped Lionheart onto his belt. Seifer just sighed as he shook his head, reaching out to grab his jacket.

"Well, we better see what Edea can come up with then. Shall we?"

Squall ignored the proffered arm as he marched to the front door.

_'She will not escape us this time, I will make sure of that myself.'_

_

* * *

_ Some SxS action there ;). just to let you know that saiai is Japanese for 'beloved'. I spent a while trying to find the perfect phrase for Seifer to refer to Squall as without being too obvious or corny. Remember to read and review.


	13. Chapter 13

Meow - Chapter 12

Sorry its been a while since i've updated. I've been trying to send this to my betareader, but my email refuses to send attachments for some strange reason :sweatdrop: Since it's taking a while, i decided to put up the non-beta version first, and then later replace it with the finished version.

* * *

I'm afraid that I can't get a definite positioning for you Squall," Edea sighed tiredly as she slumped into the cushioned armchair, gratefully accepting the cool glass of water Selphie had poured for her. It had been a long 2 hours as the group waited in Squall's office as Edea scurried for the missing sorceress. The office was silent except for the soft mutterings of the sorceress standing in the middle of the room, eyes closed and arms stretched out in front of her as though she was trying to reach for something, which, mused Squall, was probably what she was doing. A glance around the room showed that everyone else appeared to be as nervous and uptight about the entire business as Squall. Even Selphie and Zell watched silently from the couch, sitting as still as possible as though any movement would destroy Edea's concentration and bring Squall's wrath down upon them. Irvine kept reaching up for his hat every 5 minutes, hastily replacing his hand on his lap when he realized what he was doing. Quistis sat in the armchair closest to him, the only sign of tension appearing in the way that she held her hands tightly on her lap. Seifer had taken up his usual position near the door, glancing towards it as though he leave any minute. Not that Squall could blame him. It must be uncomfortable for him to be in the same room as a sorceress while she was working her spells, but his pride would not allow him leave. Squall raked his eyes over Seifer and quickly looked down at his black gloves as though they were the most interesting things in the room. So focused on keeping silent, the sharp gasp the Edea gave as she fell towards the floor caused everyone to jump, and it was only Zell's fast reflexes that stopped the sorceress from hitting the ground. 

"Don't worry about it Matron, you've given us something to work with."

"So she's around Tribra eh? Why there?" Irvine asked as he lent back in the chair, twirling his hat between his hands.

"It's remote, and its where the remains of Tribra Garden lie," Selphie spoke softly from her spot beside Edea, avoiding Seifer's gaze. "It's a reminder that she has already succeeded in destroying a Garden."

Edea reached across and placed her hand on Selphie's shoulder.

"The loss of Tribria Garden and your friends have been hard on you, and I am sorry that I was not strong enough to prevent it. Balamb Garden will not share the same fate. She will be stopped."

Selphie nodded and smiled softly.

"You're right. I will not let Balamb Garden end up like Tribria." Selphie bounced up and saluted to Squall. "Commander, I would like permission to take the Ragnarok out and survey the area around Tribria Garden for any signs of unknown activities and I would also like permission to inform those rebuilding that a sorceress is in the area."

"Permission granted on both accounts. Take a team of SeeD with you. If you come across anything suspicious, you are to return to Garden immediately. No foolish heroics. Understood?"

"Understood sir! I'll have the Ragnarok ready for launch in 1 hour."

"I'll come along for the ride as well," Irvine added, standing up and replacing his hat back on his head, cocky smirk back in place. Squall nodded.

"Report back in 3 hours. You are dismissed."

"Sir!" Irvine and Selphie saluted.

"I'll come along as well."

Selphie paused in mid step as everyone turned to face Seifer.

"Why?"

Seifer fidgeting for a moment under the stares of the group before slipping his casual mask back on.

"I can… sense her presence. I will be able to know if she is in the area before you do."

Squall nodded in agreement.

"Permission granted. Seifer will join Selphie and Irvine as an advisor for this mission. Make sure that he is treated with the respect that that position deserves."

Irvine nodded silently, a small twist on his lips the only sign of distaste of the new order.

"Yippee! More people!" Selphie bounced across the room and grabbed Seifer by his hand, dragging the perplexed blonde towards the door.

"You haven't been in the Ragnarok before have you? I'll give you a guided tour around my baby while she's getting prepared. See ya Squall!"

Squall smirked at the bewildered expression on Seifer's face as he was pulled out the door but the small brunette. "Squall…"

"Have fun Seifer."

Seifer sent out one last glare at Squall as the door shut behind them.

* * *

"And this here is my beloved cockpit. This is where I drive and do really cool things like twirls, swirls and spins. Its so much fun, though Squall says that it gives him a headache just thinking about it and Quistis won't…" 

Seifer tuned out the unending babble from the short brunette as he followed her around the large spaceship.

"This is the ship you used to get into Lunatic Pandora, am I correct?"

Selphie stopped her tirade, glancing questionably at the blonde.

"…Yeah… it was."

Seifer nodded as he twirled around on one foot, hands clasped behind his back as he took in his surroundings.

"You were driving then?"

"Ah, yeah…"

Seifer twirled around so that he was facing the young woman.

"That was some good piloting back then."

Selphie blinked at the unexpected compliment, then broke into a wide grin.

"You really think so!" Leaping into the air, Selphie covered the short distance between the two, latching onto a befuddled Seifer, nearly knocking them onto the floor.

"Ah Selphie…"

"Oh thank you, thank you, thank you! Everyone else just says that my driving is crazy, what with all the loops and swirls."

Selphie gave that blushing blonde one last squeeze before releasing him and flopping down sideways onto the pilots' chair, spinning around to face Seifer.

"So, how has it been for you? It's been 2 days since you've been turned back into a human."

Seifer smiled wirily.

"I have my moments."

Selphie lent forward, glancing at the door quickly before focusing all of her attention onto Seifer.

"You and Squall seem pretty close."

Seifer froze as the brunette gazed up at him, waiting for a response to her question.

"Ah, yeah, I guess you could say that. I am crashing on his couch so he has to lighten up to me I guess."

_'Ah shit, she couldn't know already…'_

"Ahhh…." Selphie's face lit up at the answer.

"Good, good. Has he mentioned to you - as a human or cat – anyone in particular that he might fancy?"

Selphie smirked as Seifer blushed lightly.

"Well, um, there was Rinoa but I um, don't recall him saying anything along those line," Seifer finished smoothly, staring intently out the window. "Why do you ask?"

Selphie's face fell slightly.

"So he hasn't said anything about Quistis then."

_'Quistis?'_

"Quistis?" Seifer spluttered.

Selphie nodded.

"Yep, Quistis. We've noticed that Squall and Quistis have been getting rather close lately – I'm sure you've noticed it – and Squall hasn't been pushing her away like he use to, if you catch my drift."

Seifer stared dumbfoundly at the girl.

"You think Squall likes Quistis?"

"Bingo!" Selphie threw her hand up in the air to emphasis her point. "But knowing them, nothing will happen if left to themselves – Quistis would be too afraid to try again and Squall is well, Squall – they won't do anything about it unless pushed so that's where we coming in."

"We?" All Seifer could do was repeat the perky brunette as he tried to wrap his mind around the thought of Squall and Quistis.

_'She thinks Squall likes Quistis? Well, they do seem pretty close now, but…'_

"Yes, we. Me, Irvine, Zell and now you. Now close your mouth and wipe that confused look off your face." Selphie giggled as the blonde sank down to the ground, arms resting on bent knees as he stared up the grinning she-devil currently residing in the pilot seat.

"What do you mean me? Since when have I been included in this scheme of yours?"

Selphie smirked. "Since now. Squall seems to listen to you, and since you're living with him, it would be easy for you too, you know, drop a few hints every now and again."

"I guess he does listen to me but…"

"Then it's agreed on! You'll handle Squall with Zell and Irvine and myself will work on Quistis." Selphie clapped her hands together in satisfaction.

"What! But I never agreed to…"

"Now, not a word to anyone about this or…" Selphie glared sardonically at the stunned blonde, "I'll finish what Rinoa and I started ok?" Selphie lowered her gaze, purposely lingering before returning her gaze to Seifer's pale face. All Seifer could do was nod wordlessly, causing the young lady to bounce up from the seat, smile firmly back in place as she grabbed the sitting blonde and pulled him to his feet.

"Right-t-o then. Lets head on out as see if the loading's finished yet. Then we're off!" Selphie once again dragged the dazed blonde behind her.

'_Why me?'_

_

* * *

_

AN Rather short chapter i know considering the time i had to sit down and write all this :sweatdrop: but i felt that it was a good place to stop, and i wanted to develop the relationship between Selphie and Seifer before they go onto the trip. I'll make up for the lack of length in the next chapter, promise :)


	14. Chapter 14

**Author's Notes: **I'm back! I know that i have been terrible with updating, and i am truly sorry about the wait. I did have this chapter written earlier, but i lost the USB stick i had it on, and didn't have the heart to re-write it all out again. Now i just have to go back and re-write the chapters i had done for my other stories :grumbles: Why must i be so forgetful...

* * *

**Chapter 13**

"Squall," Quistis walked over and stood by his desk, tapping her fingers in annoyance as Squall took his time to finish the document in his hand.

"Yes Quistis?" Squall finally asked, placing the document into his outbox after he had elegantly signed his name at the bottom.

"Do you think that it is wise to involve Seifer in all this? I know you think he deserves a second chance, but can we really trust him? It was easy for her to control him before, what could stop her from doing it again?"

Squall sighed as he lent back in his chair, massaging his temple with his fingertips.

"Frankly, we don't know what could happen. So far he seems resistant to her this time, and now he knows what to expect; I doubt that he'd want to return to being her knight any time soon."

"And if he does become her knight again?"

Squall frowned. "Then we will have to eliminate him along side her."

"Ah, but could you land the finishing blow? Could you really kill Seifer?"

Quistis smirked inwardly at Squall's expression as he gazed at the table in deep thought.

'_Bingo!'_

"I don't want to believe that he would turn on us again," Quistis continued, "But it's happened once before, and that possibility is still there, no matter how much you try to believe otherwise. Maybe you might want to keep him away from her and save yourself from making a decision that you will regret later." Quistis leaned in and gave Squall a soft peck on the cheek, "And I know you will regret losing him Squall, even if you haven't figured out why just yet." Squall blushed slightly as she pulled away, giving him a quick wink as she turned away.

"Oh," Quistis paused by the door, turning to the befuddled commander, "Was it a good decision to let Seifer go to Trabia with Selphie? I know Selphie isn't the type to hold grudges, but she lost many friends and comrades when Trabia Garden was destroyed, and it was his finger that pressed the button…"

"Yes." Squall replied firmly, sitting forward and leaning on his desk. "They will both have to live with the after effects of the war – I'd rather they dealt with it now, rather than later. I think it will do him good to confront his past," Squall said thoughtfully as he picked up a fresh document from the (never-ending) pile. Quistis nodded in agreement.

"Very well. Selphie is the forgiving type after all. Maybe she could show Seifer how to forgive himself as well."

Squall smirked at the blonde.

"That's the idea."

----------------------------------------

"Balamb Garden, This is SeeD Tilmit on the Ragnarok requesting permission to launch."

"Permission granted. Have a safe trip."

"Will do."

Selphie flicked her hair back behind her ear as she waited for the hanger door to open, giving her a clear view of the outside world as it rushed on by. She loved taking of in the Ragnarok while Balamb was on the move – nothing could compete with the adrenaline rush that came from the knowledge that one wrong move would send her crashing into the rotating blades as she leapt out in the unknown scenery, the complete scense of being that she felt the moment she sat in the cockpit and brought Ragnarok to life. The outside world melted away as she put her entire focus onto making sure that she got every detail right in order to successfully complete the takeoff. From that moment on, nothing else mattered except her beloved ship. It didn't matter that she was about to head to the tattered remains of her former home, nor did it matter that the one responsible for the current state of Trabia Garden was currently residing behind the door that separated the passengers from the cockpit.

Selphie flicked the power switch, relaxing as the familiar hum of the engines filled the room, growing louder as they powered up the full strength, the ship straining at controls beneath her hands as though it was as eager to leave as she was. Feeling the slight shudder in the controls, she dropped the throttle down to full speed, jetting Ragnarok out of the hanger and into the open sky, freefalling towards the spinning blades as she laughed at the muted shouts of the helpless men in the passenger room. Really, Irvine should know her tactics by now. Smirking, she pulled hard up on the joystick, angling the Ragnarok outwards as she missed the blades by seconds. Letting out a whoop that was echoed by Ragnarok, she spun around in a large loop as she circled Balamb Garden and made her way Northward to Trabia.

It was hard to say what she truly felt towards Seifer. Despite all her good efforts, her smiles, her forgiveness, there was still a part of her that couldn't – wouldn't – forget the part that he played in the destruction of her home. Friends, classmates, mentors died because he was too caught up in his ambition to be the best without ever realising the consequences that came with the title. She was still yet to ask him if it was mind control that had forced him to commit such atrocious acts like Edea and Squall suggested, but the thought of his answer terrified her away from asking the question; in this case she felt that ignorance was truly bless. It was much easier to pretend that it wasn't his finger that had pressed the button, that it wasn't his will to go against his friends and family (because that is what they were, regardless of blood and forgotten memories), that he never wished to become the murderous dog that the world believed him to be. It made it easier to smile at the man as she joked about, making silly plans and laughing as though she didn't feeling the slight pain and anger that arose each time he entered the room. She could never honestly hate him, but forgiveness was not quite ready to be granted, no matter how hard she tried to give it to him, this broken man who had once been a brother to her, and would always be, despite the past. She so desperately want to go back to the ways things were before they knew the pain of betrayal of one of their own, back to when they could still be called innocent, that she pushed the niggly voice deep into the recesses of her heart, and give him the chance to redeem himself in her eyes, and turn back the hands of time.

"Selphie, hey Sellpphhieeee?"

Selphie jumped as the intercom crackled into life, Irvine's disembowelled voice filling the silence of the cockpit.

"Is it okay to remove our seatbelts yet honey?"

Selphie grinned as she placed Ragnarok onto manual drive.

"Sure thing honey."

A spin announced that both men had removed their belts at just the right moment, earning a sadistic chuckle from the ship's Captain. Forgiveness may take a little bit longer than expected, but a bit of Selphie-styled punishment did quieten that little voice down for a few precious moments, and as Seifer shouted obscenities down the intercom when she put the Ragnarok through a series of loops and twirls, forgiveness didn't seem that far off either.

------------------------------------------

The jagged ruin laid before him in a hazy mist, a lonely testament to just one of the many crimes he had committed during the Second Sorceress War. Heaving his battered backpack (that Squall had packed away when he had…moved out) onto his shoulder, Seifer walked down the loading bay of the Ragnarok. A quick once around the surrounding area revealed that the sorceress was nowhere nearby at the time, and so Selphie had deemed it safe to land just outside of Trabia Garden. Racing down the gangplank, said brunette waved and called out greetings to those she recognised, as well as to those she didn't. Irvine smiled at the women's antics as he pulled up the rear, strolling casually as he kept Seifer within his sights. Ignoring the niggling feeling between his shoulder blades, Seifer snorted at the gunman's antics as he gave a more dedicated survey of the sight in front of him. Though ragged and broken, signs of new life appeared amongst the wreckage, the new work contrasting sharply against the old remains, but there was still much work to do before Trabia began to resemble it's past self. The labourers paused in their work as the 3 SeeDs walked past, curious stares turning into hate-filled glares as their accusing eyes fell onto Seifer's form. The slight roll of his shoulders was the only indication that Seifer felt the heavy silence that was brought about by his arrival as he stared ahead stonily, refusing to acknowledge the growing tension in the air.

"One might mess you made here Almasy." Irvine's voice cut across the silence harshly, causing the blonde to turn and sneer wordlessly at the cowboy. Irvine smirked and tilted his hat slightly in retaliation, jumping in surprise as the blonde bared his teeth and hissed. Smirking at the gunslinger's reaction, Seifer turned back around, placing an invisible mark beside his name on the imaginary tally. A shout from their perky leader brought Seifer out of his reminisce as he focused on the cause of the brunette's excitement. Waiting in the broken doorway of the original Trabia Garden stood a large, slender woman in her lately 50's, stern in both posture and looks as she watched to approaching party. Her grey hair pulled back in a tight bun, she gave the impression of a stern headmistress, and Seifer sent to whatever gods that were listening for sending him tp Balamb instead of Trabia.

"Headmistress Caviezel! I've come for a visit!" Selphie's greeting confirmed Seifer's suspicions that the stern lady was indeed the headmistress of Trabia Garden and he suddenly wished that he was anywhere else but there. Caviezel soften slightly at the sight of the perky SeeD, giving the woman a quick welcome hug before turning her attention to the rest of the SeeD party, eyes hardening as they fell onto Seifer.

"What is _he_ doing here?"

Selphie stepped back in surprise at the hissed words from her mentor's mouth before adopting the official stance and saluting to her superior officer.

"Seifer Almasy is here upon request by Commander Lionheart ma'm."

Caviezel turned to face her former pupil.

"You mean Commander Lionheart knew of his location and failed to report this information to the rest of the governing bodies, while also letting this,_ thing_ walk about freely?"

"Um, Seifer's whereabouts were not discovered until recently, and Commander Lionheart has decided that Seifer will be placed under his protection in exchange for his help regarding the recent sorceress attack on Balamb Garden."

"Another attack by a sorceress?" Caviezel questioned, Seifer's presence pushed aside for the moment.

"Yes, A few days ago Ultemica tried to assassinate Commander Squall Lionheart while he was in the training facilities of Balamb Garden. It was only through Seifer's actions that he survived the attack. She has also kidnapped sorceress Rinoa, most likely to drain her of her powers. It is believed that she is hiding somewhere in Trabia, which is the reason for our visit."

"I see." Caviezel stared sightlessly towards the ground, pondering on the new events that had come into light. "Very well SeeD Tilmit, I thank you for the warning, and will increase security around the facility. And as for Alamsy," a sneer forming on her face, "I will accept Commander Lionheart's decision for the time being, but let it be noted that I feel as though he has made a foolish choice and will speak with the rest of the governing bodies concerning this issue. I will also request that Seifer Alamsy refrains from subjecting us to his presence and keep to staying aboard your transport for the duration of your visit."

Seifer bit back a retort as Selphie saluted once more.

"Very well, I shall relay your message back to Commander Lionheart. I must beg your pardon as we must continue our scouting mission. Good bye Headmistress Caviezel." Selphie turned on her heels and stormed away, leaving the headmistress of Trabia to contemplate on the new information of the sorceress, and on the sorceress knight.

* * *

**AN** I know that this is only a filler chapter, but I wanted to get into Selphie's head and get her feelings across, which I hopefully managed to do. The feel of my writing has changed a bit in this chapter I think, but wherever it's better or not is yet to be decided. I think you can tell by the writing style where the old copy i found on my computer finishes, and my latest writting starts. There are some parts which i am still dissastisfied with, but overall i enjoyed writing this chapter and feeling quite happy with it (or it might just be the bottles of Vodka Crusiers that i downed while typing this out affecting me :sweatdrop: ) Please read and review :) 


End file.
